Basiru To Wike: Quit Tinubu’s Cabinet, Face Your Rivers Obsession — You’ve No Locus In APC Affairs

Abuja, Nigeria– The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has asked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to immediately resign his appointment and “face his obsession with Rivers State politics,” insisting that the former Rivers governor has no business interfering in the affairs of the ruling party.

Basiru, in a  statement issued on Monday, said Wike is not a member of the APC and therefore lacks the locus standi to dabble into the internal affairs of the party at any level.

According to the APC scribe, his attention was drawn to what he described as a “tirade” by Wike against his person and office following his position that members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) must accord due respect to sitting governors, who remain leaders of the party in their respective states.

“My attention has been drawn to the tirade of the Minister of the FCT against my person and my office as the National Secretary of the APC. This is as regards my position that all members of the NWC must accord any sitting Governor his due respect and that the Governors remain the leaders of the Party in their States.

“It is shocking that such an innocuous statement can elicit such uncouth responses from no less than a member of the Federal Executive Council.,” Basiru said.

He stressed that as National Secretary of the APC, he is constitutionally imbued with the responsibility of protecting the interests of the party, its members and structures across the country, noting that his duties are not limited to his home state of Osun.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our records indicate that Minister Nyesom Wike is not a member of our Party (APC) so he lacks the locus to dabble into the affairs our Party,” Basiru stated.

“And as National Secretary of the APC, I am imbued with the responsibility to protect the interests of the Party and all its members and structures. Hence, my comments on the affairs of the APC in Rivers State CANNOT be an undue interference in the affairs of Rivers State. As National Secretary, my activities cannot be confined to my home state, Osun State.”

Basiru also dismissed Wike’s reference to an alleged N600 billion largesse in Rivers State, which he claimed APC leaders were scrambling for, describing it as “cheap blackmail” and part of Wike’s “stock-in-trade.”

“I also take exception to Wike reference to a certain N600 billion largesse in the State for which I and other APC leaders are scrambling. This is nothing but cheap blackmail which has become his stock-in-trade.

“My background, track-record is that of unquestionable intergrity and I challenge him to prove his allegations or we may meet in court,” he warned.

Reacting to what he described as veiled threats from the FCT minister, Basiru said Wike was overplaying his political card, adding that he would not succumb to intimidation.

“He is not God. My faith is in God, and I will not succumb to cheap threats,” he said.

“My faith is in God and will not succumb to cheap threats such as the one from WIKE. I am one of the young Nigerians that confronted Military rule, fighting for democracy, when the likes of Wike were nowhere in sight.”

Basiru further noted that Wike’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not confer APC membership on him, stressing that millions of non-APC Nigerians also supported the president.

“Let me also remind Nyesom Wike that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, does not automatically make him a member of the APC. Millions of non-APC Nigerians also support Mr. President and his own is no different. His attempt to destabilise our Party in Rivers State will not be tolerated and he cannot bring the spirit of PDP into the APC,” he said.

The APC National Secretary advised Wike to either stop causing confusion within the party using the leverage of his ministerial office or do the “honourable thing” by resigning from the Federal Executive Council.

“Finally, my advice to Nyesom Wike is that he cannot be in the Federal Executive Council of an APC Government and be causing confusion within any organ or structure of the Party at any level, using the leverage of that same office. The honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as Minister,” Basiru added.