Nyesom Wike Clashes With APC Over Fubara’s Second Term
A squabble has erupted between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, after Wike threatened the ruling party’s scribe over his alleged interference in Rivers State politics.
Apparently, the unstated cause of the ongoing fight is over a policy by the ruling party, which automatically makes governors the leaders of the APC in their states as well as an unwritten understanding that gives governors automatic return tickets for a second term.
Therefore, the FCT minister, a politician, already foreseeing the implications of this APC’s established understanding after the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, recently defected to the ruling party, sees this impending scenario as unacceptable.
Put succinctly, Wike considers this scenario as a threat to his ambition to replace his erstwhile political godson in the upcoming 2027 general election, having almost singlehandedly supported him to be governor in 2023.
But yesterday the situation boiled over with Wike urging Basiru to steer clear of the politics of Rivers or face the unpalatable consequences, a threat that immediately drew a sharp response from the APC national secretary, who accused the minister of overreach.
Basiru demanded Wike’s resignation from the Federal Executive Council (FEC), arguing that the minister’s posture was incompatible with his role as a cabinet member and dangerous to party cohesion. He insisted that Wike’s open support for President Bola Tinubu did not confer APC membership on him.
Joining the fray, prominent APC stakeholders also issued a stern warning to the minister demanding an immediate retraction and public apology over what they described as the “unwarranted and disrespectful” comments against Basiru.
In a statement signed by Umar Duhu, the APC stakeholders described Wike’s remarks as a clear breach of protocol, stressing that such conduct would not be tolerated within the ruling party.
But speaking during his “Thank You” visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, where he insinuated that the APC scribe had received some funds from the N600 billion sum left in the state’s coffers, Wike described Rivers as a “no-go area” and challenged the APC topnotch to take a cue from those who previously attempted to meddle in the state’s politics.
Wike cautioned Basiru that he should not hold anybody responsible if he got his fingers burnt from the dangerous expedition he was planning on embarking upon in the oil-rich, politically crucial Niger Delta state.
The minister was reacting to Basiru, who had tackled the APC Vice Chairman (South-South), Chief Victor Giadom, for describing the incumbent Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, as a ‘so-called governor.‘ Basiru rebuked Giadom describing the comments as unfortunate.
