Senator Basiru, in a strongly worded statement issued on Monday in Abuja said his attention had been drawn to what he described as “the tirade of the Minister of the FCT against my person and my office as the National Secretary of the APC,” following his 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.”
He expressed shock that “such an innocuous statement can elicit such uncouth responses from no less than a member of the Federal Executive Council.”
Basiru insisted that it was incompatible for Wike to remain in the cabinet of an APC-led government while allegedly causing internal disarray within the party, stating, “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. He added that “the honourable thing to do is to resign his appointment as Minister.”
The APC scribe stressed that Wike lacked the standing to interfere in the party’s internal affairs, stating emphatically that “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.”
Basiru maintained that contrary to Wike’s impression, he had the authority to oversee affairs of the APC across the country as the national secretary of the party.
He said, “From my record, he isn’t a member of APC. I don’t see which authority or temerity he has to be dabbling into APC affairs.
”I am the National Secretary of APC, and I don’t see any basis for him to be making comments about my activities either in Rivers State or in any part of Nigeria.
”As the National Secretary of the party, my activities aren’t confined to Osun State, contrary to his wrong impression.
”I am the head of the National Secretariat of the APC. So, he has no locus whatsoever to engage me in any political activity that concerns the APC until he joins the party.”
Basiru also dismissed allegations linking him to an alleged interest in Rivers State funds, describing the claims as baseless and inconsistent with his personal record.
”I take strong exception to his allusion that I am interested in the N600 billion allocations of Rivers State. My records of service are those of integrity and commitment to service. I am not an opportunist, and I have never shied away from taking principled positions on any matter, no matter whose ox is gored.
”I am one of the young Nigerians who confronted military dictatorship. I can’t be bullied by anybody, no matter how highly placed. My records as National Secretary are above board, and I can’t be queried by somebody who isn’t a member of APC,” he said.
