The National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to resign from President Bola Tinubu’s government, accusing him of causing “confusion within the Party” while holding a federal appointment.
Basiru’s demand follows a series of warnings issued by Wike over the weekend, in which the minister cautioned APC officials, including the National Secretary, to stay away from Rivers State politics. Wike had also alluded to the alleged N600 billion in the state’s coffers, raising tensions between the ruling party and the minister.
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In a statement personally signed on Monday in Abuja, Basiru rejected Wike’s interventions, describing them as “uncouth” and an intrusion into APC affairs.
“Minister Nyesom Wike is not a member of our Party and therefore lacks the locus to dabble in our affairs,” Basiru said. “As National Secretary of the APC, I am empowered to safeguard the Party’s interests and ensure that all sitting Governors are accorded the respect they deserve. Wike’s actions amount to destabilisation.”
Basiru also condemned what he called “cheap blackmail” regarding the N600 billion allegedly in Rivers State’s coffers, challenging the minister to substantiate his claims. He further criticised Wike for what he termed veiled threats, stressing that the minister “is not God and may be overplaying his political card.”
The APC official warned that support for the President does not automatically confer Party membership, adding that Wike’s alleged attempts to inject PDP-style politics into APC structures would not be tolerated.
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“The honourable thing for Minister Wike to do is to resign from the Federal Executive Council of an APC government,” Basiru said. “He cannot continue to cause confusion within any organ or structure of the Party while holding a federal appointment.”
The escalating feud comes amid simmering political tensions in Rivers State, where APC leaders and the FCT Minister have clashed publicly over local governance and the distribution of state resources. Analysts say the dispute highlights the growing challenge of balancing federal appointments with Party loyalty in a politically sensitive pre-election year.
