The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ajibola Basiru, has criticised a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), Victor Giadom, over what he described as an unbecoming remark against Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.

Basiru faulted Giadom, who is the APC Vice Chairman (South-South), for referring to Fubara as a “so-called governor,” describing the comment as unfortunate, disrespectful and inappropriate for someone occupying such a sensitive party position. He stressed that political allegiances or personal preferences should not erode respect for democratic institutions and elected offices.

“I find it unfortunate that a member of the NWC, who is the Vice Chairman of the South-South zone of the APC, was referring to a governor in our party as a ‘so-called governor of Rivers State’,” Basiru said. “No matter what his allegiances are to anybody, it is unbecoming of somebody holding such a sensitive position, and it should not be encouraged by anybody.”

The APC scribe further emphasised that even governors outside one’s political party deserve respect, noting that the office of governor is an exalted one. “Even if the governor is not in our party, you can’t refer to an elected governor as a ‘so-called governor’ in order to please anybody. The office of the governor is an exalted position, and whoever is occupying it must be respected, irrespective of political differences or animosity,” he added.

In a related development, Basiru reaffirmed the party’s support for Governor Fubara, stating that the Rivers State governor enjoys the full backing of the APC ahead of his re-election bid. Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, Basiru dismissed insinuations that the governor could be frustrated within the party.

“Nobody can frustrate any APC governor,” Basiru said. “Fubara, like other APC governors, is running the affairs of his state well.”