The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has strongly replied the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, advising him to immediately resign his appointment and focus on what he described as his “obsession with Rivers politics.”
In a statement issued on Monday, January 5, 2026, Basiru reacted to recent remarks credited to Wike against his person and office, describing the minister’s comments as a “tirade” unbecoming of a member of the Federal Executive Council.
Basiru explained that his earlier position was merely to emphasise that members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) must accord due respect to sitting governors, who constitutionally remain leaders of the party in their respective 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,” he said.
The APC scribe further stated that available party records show that Wike is not a member of the APC and therefore lacks the standing to interfere in the internal affairs of the ruling party.
“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 of our party,” Basiru said, adding that as National Secretary, he is constitutionally empowered to protect the interests of the party and its structures nationwide.
He stressed that his comments on APC affairs in Rivers State could not be regarded as undue interference, noting that his responsibilities are not limited to his home state of Osun.
Basiru also dismissed Wike’s reference to an alleged N600 billion fund in Rivers State, describing it as “cheap blackmail.”
“I take exception to Wike’s 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,” he said, while challenging the minister to substantiate the allegation or face him in court.
Responding to what he described as veiled threats, Basiru said Wike was overestimating his political influence.
“He is not God and may be overplaying his political card. My faith is in God and I will not succumb to cheap threats,” Basiru said, recalling his role in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggles during the military era.
The APC National Secretary further noted that Wike’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not confer APC membership on him, stressing that many Nigerians outside the party also support the president.
“His attempt to destabilise our party in Rivers State will not be tolerated and he cannot import the spirit of the PDP into the APC,” he warned.
Basiru advised Wike to choose between retaining his ministerial position and interfering in APC affairs.
“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,” he stated.
