APC National Secretary Fires Back at Wike, Calls for Immediate Resignation from Ministerial Post

 APC National Secretary Fires Back at Wike, Calls for Immediate Resignation from Ministerial Post

1. My attention has been directed to the Minister of the FCT's rant against me and my position as the APC's National Secretary. This is in reference to my belief that all NWC members must respect any sitting Governor and that Governors will continue to be the Party's leaders in their respective states. It is astonishing that such a simple statement can evoke such impolite comments from no less than a member of the Federal Executive Council.

2. To be clear, our records show that Minister Nyesom  Wike is not a member of our Party (APC), hence he does not have the authority to interfere in our Party's activities. And, as the APC's National Secretary, I am responsible for protecting the Party's interests, as well as those of all its members and structures. As a result, my comments on APC events in Rivers State CANNOT constitute undue intervention in Rivers State affairs. As National Secretary, my responsibilities must extend beyond my home state of Osun.

3. I also take issue with Wike's claim to a specific N600 billion largesse in the state, for which I and other APC leaders are scrambling. This is nothing more than cheap blackmail, which has been his standard practice. My experience and track record demonstrate indisputable integrity, and I dare him to substantiate his charges or we may meet in court.

4. Regarding his veiled threat against me, I'd like to remind WIKE that he is not God and may be overplaying his political card. My faith is in God, and I will not submit to cheap threats like the one from WIKE. I am one of the young Nigerians who stood up to military authority and fought for democracy when Wike was nowhere to be found.

5. I'd also like to inform Nyesom Wike that his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu does not automatically qualify him for membership in the APC. Millions of non-APC Nigerians support Mr. President, and his own is no exception. His attempt to undermine our party in Rivers State will not be permitted, and he cannot bring the spirit of the PDP into the APC.

6. Finally, my counsel to Nyesom Wike is that he cannot be a member of the APC Government's Federal Executive Council while sowing uncertainty inside any organ or structure of the Party at any level, using that same role. The honourable thing to do is to resign from his position as Minister. 

Senator Ajibola Basiru, Ph.D., BL, National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress.