Beyond Ministerial Boundaries: Wike’s Assault on APC Hierarchy Must Stop
By Muhammad Kabir Sani Hotoro:
As a staunch supporter and dedicated stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I find it increasingly difficult to remain silent while the institutional health of our party is being undermined by a toxic strain of political indiscipline. The recent vitriolic outbursts by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, directed at our National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, are not merely isolated echoes of a regional feud. They represent a dangerous attempt to transplant the chaotic “godfather” culture into our party—a culture that eventually hollowed out and crippled the PDP. For those of us who believe in the supremacy of the party, this external overreach into the National Secretariat is a red line that must not be crossed.
The facts of the matter are clear and documented. Senator Ajibola Basiru, acting in his capacity as the National Secretary and the custodian of the APC’s institutional integrity, rightly called for respect toward the office of the Governor. He cautioned against the derogatory rhetoric that refers to an elected leader as a “so-called governor”—a move intended to maintain the decorum and institutional respect that is a hallmark of our party. In response, Nyesom Wike—a man who remains a guest in this APC-led administration—issued a series of crude threats. By warning the National Secretary to “steer clear” of Rivers State and suggesting that he might “get burnt,” Wike has displayed the exact kind of “godfatherism” and indiscipline that we have consistently sought to avoid.
We in the APC pride ourselves on the principle of party supremacy, yet Wike’s attempt to declare an entire state a “no-go area” for the National Secretary is an insult to every card-carrying member. Senator Basiru’s mandate is not local; it is national. He is the head of the National Secretariat, and for an appointee to suggest that the Secretary’s authority is confined to a specific region is a dangerous delusion that undermines the entire National Working Committee (NWC). Wike must be reminded that the APC is not a platform for political warlords who believe that personal support for the President grants them a license to bypass party hierarchy. You cannot be a guest in a house and then begin to threaten the landlord.
Under our amiable National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, the NWC must now stand together as a united family to condemn this unruly behavior. The time for silence is over; the National Chairman is kindly requested to formally direct the APC structure in Rivers State to, as a matter of urgency, register their total loyalty to the Governor of Rivers State. In the eyes of the party and the law, the Governor is the leader of the party in his state, and maintaining a shadow structure to satisfy the ego of an outsider is a recipe for chaos. Furthermore, the NWC should not only condemn this verbal assault on Senator Basiru but should formally report this pattern of indiscipline to Mr. President.
For the sake of the party’s “Renewed Hope” agenda, the NWC should recommend the immediate removal of Nyesom Wike from his ministerial position. We cannot harbor a guest who uses his office to blackmail the very party that provides the platform for his current relevance. Nyesom Wike must be told in no uncertain terms: the APC is not a platform for PDP-style rascality. If the Minister wishes to dictate the affairs of our party, he must first resign his guest status, formally join at the ward level, and learn the humility required to submit to the authority of Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda and the NWC. The APC National Secretary has every right—and the constitutional duty—to ensure our party’s standards are upheld in every corner of this federation, and any attempt to “burn the hands” of our leadership must be met with the swiftest disciplinary action.