A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Hilliard Etta, has said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is not a member of the party and therefore lacks the authority to involve himself in its internal affairs.
Etta stated this on Tuesday during an appearance on Prime Time, a current‑affairs programme on Arise Television, where he reacted to the recent political impasse between Wike and the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru.
The controversy erupted days ago when Wike issued a stern warning to Basiru, demanding that he stay out of Rivers State politics after the APC scribe publicly expressed support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Reacting to the feud, Etta said Wike’s intervention in APC political matters was inappropriate given his non‑membership status in the party.
Etta also defended Basiru’s conduct, saying the APC national secretary acted appropriately in defending both the integrity of the party and Governor Fubara, whom the party regards as a key ally in Rivers State.
Etta said, “I like the fact that Wike gets his job done. I like his type of politics. As governor of Rivers State, he got his job done. As FCT Minister, he still gets his job done. He is a man I have a lot of respect for.
“But whether I have that type of perception of him or not, he remains not a member of our party and so cannot dabble in the affairs of our party. So the National Secretary was right in all material particulars in defending the integrity of the party.
“I think that if you put it in a proper perspective, the National Secretary was just doing his job. The leadership of the party is put in place to protect the interests of the party. That’s one of the things that they need to do in the office, and the National Secretary did exactly that.
“Wike referred to Fubara as a so-called governor, and he pre-determined whether the man was going to be re-elected or not. I think it’s not in his place to do so. And it was correct for the National Secretary to first of all correct him and then put in a proper perspective on the position of the party.
“The position of the party is that Governor Fubara, having been elected by the people of Rivers State, deserves the respect of every party member in the country.”