ABUJA, Nigeria, Jan. 6, 2026 — Nigeria’s opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has “no right” to complain about the conduct of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, arguing that the APC must bear the political cost of its engagement with the former Rivers governor amid escalating tensions over Rivers State politics.
The PDP position was conveyed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, in Abuja while reacting to a public exchange between Wike and APC National Secretary Sen. Ajibola Basiru. Ememobong said the APC “knowingly engaged” Wike for political advantage and is now objecting only because the relationship has become difficult.
Ememobong also insisted Wike is no longer a PDP member, saying the minister and his supporters had been expelled—an assertion that reflects an ongoing internal dispute within the opposition party over discipline and party leadership.
“The law does not allow you to benefit from a wrong you created, nor can you complain of a voluntary injury,” Ememobong said, adding that what the APC once treated as an asset had become a liability and must now be handled by the ruling party.
The pushback follows days of sharp rhetoric between Wike and Basiru. Basiru, in recent statements reported by multiple outlets, urged Wike to resign as FCT minister and “face” what he described as an obsession with Rivers politics, arguing that Wike is not a member of the APC and should not be dictating party affairs.
Wike responded by warning Basiru to stay out of Rivers political battles, with media reports quoting him as telling the APC scribe that his “hands will burn” if he continued to meddle.
The PDP said it would not be drawn into the APC’s dispute with Wike, arguing that the conduct now being criticised was previously celebrated when it appeared to benefit the ruling party. Ememobong said Basiru should “not drag the PDP into this,” framing the controversy as a problem of the APC’s own making.
The latest war of words adds to a broader power struggle surrounding Rivers politics, where alignments involving Wike—now a minister in President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet—continue to generate friction across party lines.
