The National Secretary for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Basiru, in a statement released on Monday urged the minister to resign his position and face his “obsession with Rivers politics”.
The call by the former lawmaker follows a verbal attack from Wike over the APC chieftain’s involvement in the political crisis rocking Rivers State.
Basiru had earlier called on party members in the state to respect and support Governor Siminalyi Fubara who recently decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
However, due to his long-standing rift with the Rivers governor, the directive by Basuru did not argour well with Wike.
Reacting to the outburst by Wike over his directive to the National Working Committee of Rivers APC, Basiru said, “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 noted that records available show that Wike is not a member of the APC and as such lacks the locus to dabble into the affairs of the ruling party.
“And as National Secretary of the APC, I am imbued with the responsibility to protect the interests of the Party and all its members and structures. Hence, my comments on the affairs of the APC in Rivers State CANNOT be an undue interference in the affairs of Rivers State. As National Secretary, my activities cannot be confined to my home state, Osun State.
“I also 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. My background and track record are that of unquestionable intergrity and I challenge him to prove his allegations or we may meet in court.
“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 who confronted Military rule, fighting for democracy, when the likes of Wike were nowhere in sight,” Basiru said.
He further warned the Minister to note that his support for President Bola Tinubu 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.
“Finally, my advice to Nyesom Wike is that 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 added.
