APC: ‘We Will Treat Wike As An Opposition’ – Ex-Minority Leader, Aliyu

A former House Minority Leader, Farouk Adamu-Aliyu, has warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not allow the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to create divisions within the ruling party as he allegedly did in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Naija News reports that Adamu-Aliyu stated this on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed Wike’s political activities and his support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

The former lawmaker acknowledged Wike’s role in weakening the PDP during the last presidential election but said the minister’s support for Tinubu should not translate into influencing the internal affairs of the APC.

Adamu-Aliyu said Wike remained a member of the opposition PDP and should therefore not be allowed to determine the direction of the ruling party.

He said, “Look, Wike is not a member of our party. So we will treat him as a member of the opposition.

“We appreciate everything Wike has done for us. In fact, anybody who is willing to destroy his party for us, we will welcome him. But we will not allow him to use our party to build his own party.”

The former minority leader criticised what he described as Wike’s confrontational style, saying such comments could affect the party’s relationship with voters ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said the APC was aware of the difficulties faced by Nigerians and was working to rebuild public confidence.

Adamu-Aliyu said, “We want to appease Nigerians. You don’t talk to people in such a way that they don’t vote for us again. So we don’t want anybody who will come and insult Nigerians.

“Despite the fact that we know there is a lot of hardship, we are trying to do better things that will make people believe in us. But just because you want to support the president, you insulted people anyhow and even insulted our leaders.”

Asked whether the APC regretted Wike’s inclusion in President Tinubu’s administration, Adamu-Aliyu said the party had no regrets but expressed concern that the minister’s political approach could become problematic.

He described Wike’s influence as something that could turn into “an albatross” if not properly managed.

The former lawmaker said Wike’s role during the 2023 election was different from his current position because he was then working within the PDP structure.

“If he had told us [about his approach], perhaps we wouldn’t be exchanging words with Wike,” he said.

Adamu-Aliyu insisted that no APC leader gave Wike authority to act independently on behalf of the party.

The former lawmaker said political disagreements should be handled internally rather than through public exchanges. He explained that, if he were president, he would encourage dialogue between Wike and APC leaders.

Adamu-Aliyu added, “I will tell Wike and members of my party that look, this gentleman helped us, and we are still going to use him. So, please work with him.

“Now, Wike will also have to accept that our party is supreme in this thing.

“We are trying to convince people to forgive some of our mistakes and give us an opportunity to make amends. It is not to come and anger people and speak anyhow.”