APC National Secretary Basiru Blasts Wike, Warns FCT Minister to Stay Out of Party Affairs Amid ‘Locus Standi’ Row

The internal politics of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) took a sharp and public turn toward confrontation as the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, warned FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to stop interfering in the party’s domestic matters.

In a strongly worded response to Wike’s recent commentary on the APC’s leadership and its 2027 strategic roadmap, Basiru made it clear that the former Rivers State Governor has no formal standing to influence the party’s internal decisions.

“It is important to state for the record that the APC is a structured political party with clear membership guidelines,” Basiru told reporters. “While we appreciate the cooperation of all those working within the Renewed Hope administration, it is a overreach for anyone who is not a card-carrying member of our party to attempt to dabble into our internal affairs. Nyesom Wike lacks the locus to dictate or even suggest how the APC should be run.”

The “locus standi” argument is particularly poignant given Wike’s unique position in Nigerian politics. Despite serving as a key minister in the APC-led federal government and orchestrating the defection of his loyalists to the party in late 2025, Wike has famously maintained that he is still a “leader” within the PDP.

Insiders suggest that Basiru’s outburst reflects a growing pushback from the APC’s “old guard,” who are reportedly uneasy with Wike’s perceived influence over the party’s machinery. The friction has intensified since the defection of Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara to the APC, which many see as a move that complicates Wike’s “landlord” status within the state’s APC structure.

“The APC is not a parastatal of any ministry. We have our own constitution and our own leaders. You cannot be in the PDP by day and want to be the National Chairman of the APC by night. There must be order.” — A high-ranking APC source

While Wike has yet to issue a formal rebuttal, his supporters in the “G-5” circle have argued that his contributions to the party’s success in the 2023 elections and his current role in the cabinet should grant him a seat at the table.

As the APC prepares for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting later this month, the Basiru-Wike row signals a looming battle for the soul of the party as it navigates the complex waters of the 2026 political calendar.