The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru has called on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nyesom Wike to resign from the Federal Executive Council.
On Sunday, Basiru had warned the National Vice Chairman (South-South) of the APC, Chief Victor Giadom to stop disrespecting the state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, in order to please Wike.
The APC scribe was responding to Giadom’s comments last Tuesday, during Wike’s visit to the Gokana LGA, where he referred to Fubara as a “so-called governor”, adding that, for Fubara to win any election in the state, he must go through Wike.
In a statement on Monday, Dr. Basiru said that it was wrong of Wike, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to be serving in 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 (Minister)’.
During his “Thank you” visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State on Monday, Wike had warned Basiru to steer clear of the state’s politics.
He asked Giadom to advise Bashiru to avoid the state’s politics for his own good.
‘Tell your National Secretary to leave Rivers alone. Go and ask those who have tried it before, and don’t take our support for Mr. President for granted.
‘You have to be careful of the statement you made’, Wike warned.
The minister, who is the immediate past governor of the state, threatened to bring Bashiru’s comment to the attention of President Bola Tinubu.
Bashiru, however, reminded Wike that his support for the President ‘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’.
The APC National Secretary further said: ‘As to his veiled threat against me, let me remind Wike that he is not God and may be overplaying his political card. 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.
‘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 integrity and I challenge him to prove his allegations or we may meet in court’.
