Wike, Basiru in Dramatic Clash over Fubara’s Second Term

• Minister: Keep off Rivers politics or face the consequences… don’t take my support for Tinubu for granted

•Basiru demands FCT minister’s resignation

• Says his support for Tinubu does not make him APC member

• Insists Wike’s attempt to destabilise Rivers APC won’t be tolerated

•Battle is over ruling party’s policy making all governors state leaders

•Enjoy the monster you created, PDP youth league tells APC

Chuks Okocha, Emmanuel Addeh, Olawale Ajimotokan, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A war of words erupted yesterday 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 which gives governors automatic return tickets for a second term.

Therefore, the FCT minister, a politician, already foreseeing the implication 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.

“I find it unfortunate that a member of the NWC… was referring to a governor in our party as a ‘so-called governor of Rivers State’. The office of the governor is an exalted position, and whoever is occupying it must be respected, irrespective of whatever political differences you have,” Basiru had stated.

But an angry Wike said: “Let me warn those who come to Rivers State, because you have heard that we have N600 billion, you come here, you collect, and you open your mouth to talk anyhow.

“I say it here, take this message to your National Secretary, leave Rivers State alone. Go and ask those who have done it before. Don’t take our support for Mr President for granted. You have to be careful with statements you make.

“Today, you are enjoying in Osun, you don’t know those who did the work. You are opening your mouth to talk about Rivers State. Anything you see, take it. When Mr. President comes back, when I see the Minister of Blue Economy, I will tell them to tell him.

“Go and ask other people what has happened to them before. If your hand burn, no be me burn am o. This state is a no-go area. Take the one you have taken, stop making unnecessary comments.”

The minister, who described Rivers as “a no-go area” and challenged those he characterised as greedy politicians to stay away from the state.

“Take the one you have taken and stop making unnecessary comments. We have taken a decision to support Mr President and that is exactly what we are doing. When we agreed to support Tinubu in 2023, nobody forced us.

“Now food is ready and everybody is coming and when it was hot nobody was saying anything. Leave Rivers state alone,” Wike emphasised.

Wike also challenged his detractors to demonstrate the political strength required to unite two major political parties in a single state, a feat he said only he has achieved. He said: “Let anyone who has the capacity to unite two major political parties in a state come out and show that it can successfully merge the APC and PDP to work together.

“If it is easy, try it and see what it takes. This is the only state where you see the two major political parties working together.” He restated that he will correct “mistakes” made during the 2023 elections in Rivers State, stressing that it must be done “now or never,” regardless of the cost.

Addressing the Oyigbo people, Wike urged them to replicate the support they gave him during the 2023 elections in the 2027 elections. “There is nothing I have asked from you that you did not give me. We are not ungrateful people. In 2023, we took a risk, and today we can see where we are, so let’s replicate it in 2027,” he said.

However, stressing that loyalty to the president was not a substitute for allegiance to the ruling party’s structures and constitution, Basiru said Wike remained a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and should not seek to exercise influence within the APC.

Basiru further alleged that the former Rivers governor was actively attempting to destabilise the APC in Rivers State, a move he said would not be tolerated by the party’s leadership or its grassroots. According to him, the APC would resist any external interference designed to weaken its internal unity ahead of future political contests.

In a statement in Abuja, the APC scribe said Wike is not a member of the ruling party and cannot dabble into the affairs of the party,  asking him to resign his position as FCT minister and face his obsession with Rivers politics.

Basiru stated: “My attention has been drawn to the tirade of the Minister of the FCT against my person and my office as the National Secretary of the APC.  This is as regards my position that all members of the NWC must accord any sitting governor his due respect and that the governors remain the leaders of the party in their states.

“It is shocking that such an innocuous statement can elicit such uncouth responses from no less than a member of the Federal Executive Council. For the avoidance of doubt, 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 of our 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 regarding 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.”

Basiru noted that cheap blackmail has become a stock-in-trade for Wike, dismissing the insinuation that he came to Rivers to collect money.

He added: “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 is that of unquestionable integrity and I challenge him to prove his allegations or we may meet in court.”

As for Wike’s ‘veiled threat’ against him, Basiru reminded the minister that he is not God and that he 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.

“Let me also remind Nyesom Wike that his support for President Bola Ahmed 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,” Basiru pointed out.

In the meantime, prominent stakeholders of the APC have issued a stern warning to Wike, demanding an immediate retraction and public apology over what they described as unwarranted and disrespectful comments against Basiru.

In a statement sent to THISDAY on Monday, 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.

According to the statement, which was signed by Umar  Duhu, on behalf of concerned APC stakeholders, Wike’s comments were uncalled for and inconsistent with the standards expected of a serving minister in an APC-led government.

“As a serving minister, Nyesom Wike has a responsibility to exercise restraint, decorum and respect for the institutions of government and the ruling party,” the stakeholders said.

They added that the APC was not a party where leaders remained silent in the face of provocation, insisting that discipline and respect for hierarchy were core values of the party.

The stakeholders further argued that Wike is not a registered member of the APC and therefore had no authority to interfere in the internal affairs of the party or intimidate its officials.

“We remind him that he is not a member of the APC. He therefore has no privilege or mandate to interfere in the internal affairs of the party or harass its officers,” the statement read.

The group accused the FCT minister of attempting to intimidate the APC National Secretary, describing such actions as an abuse of office and a dangerous precedent within a democratic setting.

They warned that the party maintains a zero-tolerance policy for indiscipline, threats, or vulgar conduct, regardless of the status or influence of the individual involved. As part of their demands, the stakeholders called on Wike to immediately retract his comments and issue a formal apology to the APC and its National Secretary.

They further listed possible consequences should Wike fail to comply, including filing a formal complaint with President Tinubu, initiating legal proceedings for defamation and abuse of office, and seeking disciplinary action against him in his capacity as a minister.

The statement also questioned Wike’s continued value to the APC-led administration, alleging that his rhetoric and ongoing political battles in Rivers State could undermine Tinubu’s re-election efforts.

“Given his divisive rhetoric and apparent fixation with Rivers State politics, it is becoming increasingly clear that Wike is more of a liability than an asset to the President’s political project,” the stakeholders said.

Meanwhile, the South-South Youth League of the PDP has described Wike, as a “homeless politician” who has lost his political bearing after betraying the platform that gave him relevance.

In a scathing response to recent comments made by Basiru, regarding the political standing of the former Rivers state governor, the Youth League asserted that Wike is currently in a “political no-man’s-land,” having been rejected and expelled by the PDP and yet to be fully integrated or trusted by the APC.

The statement, signed by the Zonal Coordinator of the League, Okoronkwo Magnus, emphasised that the APC leadership has no right to complain about Wike’s conduct or his “mercenary” style of politics, as they were the ones that were emboldening him against the PDP to undermine leadership of the opposition.

“The APC National Secretary and the ruling party should stop lamenting and start enjoying the monster they created,” the statement read. When Wike was working against the PDP, the APC celebrated him as a hero. Now that his toxic brand of politics is becoming a liability to them, they want to distance themselves. You cannot hire a bulldozer to demolish your neighbour’s house and expect it not to leave tracks in your own yard,” Okoronkwo stated.

The League noted that the political dynamics in Rivers State have shifted, and Wike can no longer claim to hold the “keys” to the South-South region.