The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has warned the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ajibola Basiru, to stay away from the internal politics of Rivers State, accusing him of only being interested in the state’s resources.
However, in a swift reaction, Basiru cautioned Wike against what he described as attempts to destabilise the party.
He called on the minister to “immediately resign” from the President Bola Tinubu administration if he cannot stop interfering in the party’s affairs.
Speaking on Monday during his ongoing thank-you tour of the 23 local government areas of Rivers State, Wike boasted that he was the only politician in Nigeria that can control two political parties.
He said: “Any state that can do this should come forward.”
Speaking at Oyingbo Local Government Area, Wike said: “Let me warn those who come to Rivers state (apparently referring to the APC national secretary), because you have heard of N600 billion, you come here and you collect and you open your mouth to talk anyhow.
“When you are doing something for the interest of everybody, some people will come out to make sure that those things don’t work
“Tony Okocha, (APC state chairman in Rivers State) tell your National Secretary to leave Rivers state alone.
“Go and ask those who had tried it before. Don’t take our support for Mr. President for granted.
“You have to be careful with the type of statement you make. Today, they are enjoying in Osun state, they don’t know those who did the work.“You open your mouth to talk about Rivers state, anything you see, you take it.”
Recall that a fortnight ago, Mr. Basiru led some APC big wigs to Government House, Port Harcourt, and publicly endorsed the state governor, Siminalayi Fubara, for second term.
The delegation eulogised the governor for his achievements and assured him that President Bola Tinubu was happy with his government and peaceful disposition in Rivers state.
Basiru also condemned the statement accredited the south-south zonal deputy national chairman of the APC, Chief Victor Giadom, who referred to Governor Fubara during a Wike-sponsored event at Gokana local government of Rivers state as a “so-called”.
Giadom is a strong political ally of the FCT Minister.
Basiru, while responding to Chief Giadom’s statement, insisted that personal loyalties or political allegiances cannot justify verbal de-legitimization of an elected governor.
“The office of the governor is an exalted position, and whoever is occupying it must be respected, irrespective of whatever political differences you have,” he said.
In a statement on Monday, Basiru insisted that it was incompatible for Wike to remain in the cabinet of an APC-led government while causing internal disarray within the party.
He said: “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.”
The APC scribe stressed that Wike lacked the standing to interfere in the party’s internal affairs, stating emphatically that “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.”
Reacting to allegations credited to Wike that APC leaders were scrambling for a purported N600 billion largesse in Rivers State, Basiru dismissed the claim as baseless, saying, “this is nothing but cheap blackmail which has become his stock-in-trade.”
He defended his personal records, stating, “my background, track-record is that of unquestionable integrity,” and challenged the minister to “prove his allegations or we may meet in court.”
Basiru also addressed what he described as veiled threats from the FCT minister, warning that Wike was “not God and may be overplaying his political card.”
He said he would not be intimidated, declaring, “my faith is in God and will not succumb to cheap threats such as the one from Wike.”
The APC scribe added that he was “one of the young Nigerians that confronted Military rule, fighting for democracy, when the likes of Wike were nowhere in sight.”
Vanguard News
