By Tunde Ajisola 6th January, 2026
The recent outbursts and commentaries surrounding the exchange between the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru (Alubarika), and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike, are both unnecessary and misplaced.
At the heart of the matter is a simple fact: Dr Ajibola Basiru acted within his constitutional duty as National Secretary of the APC. Nothing more. Nothing less.
When the Deputy National Chairman (South-South) publicly referred to a sitting governor as a “so-called governor,” it was clearly inappropriate and avoidable. Dr Basiru’s intervention was a responsible internal correction directed at a fellow member of the National Working Committee. That is how serious political parties maintain discipline, order, and credibility.
What is baffling is how this routine act of Party management has provoked such agitation from Barrister Wike, a former two-term PDP Governor who is not a member of the APC leadership structure. That a measured internal clarification would trigger public attacks and baseless accusations against the National Secretary raises serious questions.
Dr Ajibola Basiru is not an obscure figure. He is a respected lawyer, a former Senator of the Federal Republic, and the National Secretary of Africa’s largest political Party. Attempts to diminish his office or question his authority only betray a misunderstanding of the APC’s institutional framework.
If Barrister Wike harbours grievances, they should be addressed with decorum and restraint. More importantly, he owes the National Secretary of the APC an unreserved apology for his unwarranted remarks and should immediately desist from spreading misinformation.
Should Barrister Wike desire to join the APC, the Party’s doors remain open—but the process is straightforward and non-negotiable. He must formally register at his ward, respect Party structures, and acknowledge the authority of its leadership.
In the APC, discipline is not optional, leadership is not personal, and respect is reciprocal. Dr Ajibola Basiru has not erred; instead, he has upheld the values and order that distinguish a serious political organisation.
Tunde Ajisola writes from London, United Kingdom.