Resign Now! — APC Scribe Tells Wike To Quit Tinubu’s Cabinet Amid Festering Face-Off

The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ajibola Basiru, has asked the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to resign his appointment in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet, accusing him of fomenting discord within the ruling party amid an escalating face-off over Rivers State politics.

In a strongly worded statement dated Monday, January 5, 2026, Basiru said it was “shocking” that a call for basic respect for sitting governors and party structures could provoke what he described as “uncouth responses” from a member of the Federal Executive Council.

He maintained that governors remain the leaders of the party in their respective states and that members of the APC’s National Working Committee must accord them due respect.

Basiru insisted that Wike lacks the standing to interfere in APC affairs, noting that party records do not list the FCT minister as a member of the APC.

He said his intervention in Rivers State matters was neither personal nor improper, but a constitutional duty of his office as national secretary.

“As National Secretary, my activities cannot be confined to my home state,” he said, adding that protecting the party’s interests and structures nationwide falls squarely within his mandate.

The APC scribe also dismissed claims attributed to Wike that he and other party leaders were scrambling for a purported N600 billion largesse in Rivers State, describing the allegation as “cheap blackmail.”

The APC scribe challenged the minister to substantiate the claim, warning that failure to do so could result in legal action.

Basiru said his record in public life was one of “unquestionable integrity.”

Responding to what he termed veiled threats, Basiru cautioned Wike against “overplaying his political card,” stressing that intimidation would not deter him.

The former Senator invoked his history as a pro-democracy activist, saying he stood against military rule when many of today’s political heavyweights were absent from the struggle.

Basiru further argued that Wike’s public support for President Tinubu does not translate into APC membership, noting that millions of Nigerians who are not party members also support the president.

He accused the minister of attempting to import the “spirit of the PDP” into the APC and warned that any effort to destabilise the party in Rivers State would be resisted.

Rounding off his statement, Basiru said it was untenable for a minister serving in an APC-led government to use the influence of his office to sow confusion within the party at any level.

“The honourable thing to do,” he said, “is to resign his appointment as minister.”