The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to immediately resign from the President Bola Tinubu administration if he cannot halt what he described as attempts to destabilise the ruling party.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Monday by the APC National Secretariat in Abuja. Basiru said his attention had been drawn to Wike’s “tirade” against him following his call for all members of the National Working Committee (NWC) to respect sitting governors, describing such respect as essential for party unity.
Basiru expressed surprise that his remarks could provoke “uncouth responses” from a Federal Executive Council member and insisted that Wike’s continued presence in an APC-led government while allegedly causing internal disarray was incompatible with good governance.
“The honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as Minister.”
The APC scribe further questioned Wike’s standing to interfere in party affairs, noting that “Minister Nyesom Wike is not a member of our Party APC and therefore lacks the locus to dabble into the affairs of our Party,” he said.
Wike had earlier cautioned Basiru to steer clear of Rivers State politics, warning that reckless statements about the state could have serious consequences.
Speaking during a thank-you visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area, he described Rivers as a “no-go area” for political interference, urging the APC national secretary to learn from the experiences of those who had acted similarly in the past.
Reacting to the minister’s warning, Basiru defended his record and dismissed claims that APC leaders were seeking N600 billion left in Rivers State as “cheap blackmail.” He challenged Wike to substantiate his allegations, warning that attempts to intimidate him would not succeed.
Basiru added that Wike’s support for President Tinubu did not automatically make him a member of APC, stressing that “his attempt to destabilise our Party in Rivers State will not be tolerated.”
