Where were those fighting Wike when he was building a Solid and United Rivers State? (OPINION)
“Even the obstacles on my way, I predicted them before those that will bring them will start to think about them. I plan for betrayal, I plan for backstabbing, I also plan for reunion and forgiveness long before they happen. In life, I expect nothing, I expect anything, I expect everything” – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Incidentally, when President Bola Tinubu made the above quote, nobody envisaged the current scenario in Rivers state. Probably, it never crossed Nyesom Ezenwo Wike’s mind that he will find himself in a situation President Tinubu long envisaged. The good thing however, is that Wike is serving minister in President Tinubu-led Government, and it will be easy for him to quickly enroll in President Tinubu’s school of thought. I am sure he has started lectures on betrayal, reunion and forgiveness from his boss, President Tinubu.
This writer thinks there are two set of enemies up in arms against Nyesom Wike. The first set is a powerful external group in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This group has foot soldiers in Rivers State. In fact, Wike would have been a goner, politically, if as Governor, he failed to build a solid and united Rivers State that has become envy of all in Nigeria today. Nigerians should ask Wike’s political enemies why he was given award of excellence in infrastructural development in Rivers state by APC-led government, instead of an APC governor. As far as Rivers State is concerned, Wike remains the darling of real sons and daughters of the State. Anyone in doubt of this fact should study the pattern of attacks from Wike’s political enemies, in and outside the state. The most interesting fact is that Wike’s attackers in Rivers state and outside the state are members of PDP. So, what is the motivation of these attackers?
Rational political watchers in Nigeria will agree with this writer that without Nyesom Wike, PDP would have become history by now. The party went into come after 2015 general elections. It was Wike that picked up what remained of PDP, took it to political hospital, and got it revived. Meanwhile, those calling themselves “leaders” in the party now, were in other parties. Worst still, they have no political base, as none of them was able to deliver his ward to PDP in 2023 presidential election. So, on what basis are they calling themselves PDP leaders? Unless on the basis of “monkey dey work, baboon dey chop”; otherwise, how can you call yourself a leader in party, yet, you can’t even win a chancellorship seat in your ward?
Those who think Nyesom Wike scuttled the micro-zoning of PDP’s presidential seat to South East are not properly informed. Recall that PDP setup Governor Samuel Ortom’s committee to zone presidency seat of PDP on March 16, 2022. Before anyone could say Jack Robinson, Atiku Abubakar laid an ambush for Ortom’s committee by purchasing expression of interest form to contest presidential primary on March 17, 2022. Meanwhile, Ortom’s committee was not allowed to sit for one day. Atiku even went ahead to threaten that nobody can stop him from contesting the primary election, insisting that zoning is not constitutional. That was before Ortom’s committee started sitting. But only Atiku and other northerners contested the same primary election of party in 2019 in Port-Harcourt. Then, to Atiku, zoning was constitutional. Was it a case of selective justice or pick and choose what is constitutional on his part? Having successfully rubbished zoning in PDP, Atiku and his reactionary forces in PDP, again, changed the rule of the game in the middle of the party’s presidential primary.
At the election venue, Aminu Tambuwal addressed delegates twice as against once other candidates in the election were allowed. His first address was to canvass for votes; the second was to announce transfer of his votes to Atiku by way of steeping down for him. Instead of the party to disqualify Tambuwal, the national Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu allowed the election to go on. If Tambuwal had done what Atiku did in 1993, during SDP presidential primary in Jos, nobody will listen to Wike after the election. When there was stalemate in Jos, the two front runners in the election, late MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe were to contest to know who wins, and so Atiku, being the 3rd runner up, had to step down. Before balloting, Atiku announced his withdrawal from the race without committing his supporters to any of the remaining candidates.
In the spirit of good sportsmanship, Wike accepted the dubious defeat and moved on. But when Wike and other well meaning PDP stakeholders, demanded the resignation of the national Chairman to pave way for a Southern Chairman, Atiku and his reactionary forces refused. The rest of what happened to PDP at the presidential election is now history. Wike, being a thorough breed politician who knows that delivering democracy dividends to the good people of Rivers state is the reason he was elected and re-elected, he went about doing just that in the state. This led to easy election of Siminialayi Fubara as the Governor of Rivers state in 2023 governorship elections.
Report has it that the crisis in the state was caused by alleged refusal by Sim Fubara to inherit Nyesom Wike’s political enemies. If this is true, is Governor Fubara politically right to refuse inheriting Wike’s political enemies in PDP? Although, in normal life situation, it is not wise for someone to inherit another person’s enemy; but the situation is not exactly the same in politics. The same Wike’s political enemies sought to declare Rivers state PDP primary election that produced Sim Fubara illegal via court. At a time, they said PDP had no candidates in all the elective positions in Rivers state. If Wike and other real PDP stakeholders did not fight these formidable political enemies to a standstill, will the issue of inheriting Wike’s enemies arise in the first place? If Governor Sim Fubara did not join hand with Wike to fight Wike’s political enemies, would he have been Governor today? If Wike’s political enemies so love Sim Fubara, why did they seek to stop him as the governorship candidate of PDP in Rivers state? Any right thinking politician knows that, in this particular circumstance, Governor Sim Fubara has no choice than to INHERIT Nyesom Wike’s political enemies because they constitute existential threat to the Progress and Development of Rivers state.
Has Sim Fubara forgotten that when PDP in Rivers sued some political parties in the state for violating certain provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act on conducting primaries; Iyorchia Ayu-led national leadership of PDP, in attempt to undermine the party in Rivers state, and by extension, thwart Sim’s governorship ambition, embarked on anti-party activities by asking PDP lawyers handling the suit on behalf of the party to withdraw their legal representations? Has Sim Fubara also forgotten that the same Iyorchia Ayu-led national leadership of PDP said that the party had only one candidate in Rivers state? And the candidate was Rt. Hon. Dr Farah Dagogo. He was the only one that bought governorship intent form from national leadership of the party, according to Iyorchia Ayu.
In case those saying Governor Sim Fubara should not INHERIT Wike’s political enemies have forgotten, here is extract of statement issued in Abuja by the Iyorchia Ayu-led leadership of PDP on Sim Fubara and other candidates in Rivers state, “We have records of Rt. Hon. Dr Farah Dagogo, with receipts/bank drafts bearing his name. PDP National Secretariat’s Bank Statement does not have any record/details of those individuals that were gifted forms for their loyalty to Mr Nyesom Wike, except for one individual that made the buck purchase, Chief Emeka Wokeh, Chief of Staff to Mr Wike, who did the transaction on behalf of the State Governor. The party is ready to do a joinder to clear this error, which it committed before the Law, as Farah Dagogo actually bought the 2023 PDP Governorship Intent Form. Meanwhile, as a Party, we have directed our Legal Team to withdraw all cases instituted in its name against opposition parties in Rivers State.”
It is very clear that anti-Wike politicians in Rivers and contiguous states are not happy with his verifiable achievement in the state as Governor; they are seeking to turn Governor Sim Fubara away from the trajectory of solid development and growth in Rivers state, which Wike had instituted, by creating golf between the Governor and his predecessor, Nysom Ezenwo Wike (CON). These people know the only way to return Rivers state to “business as usual” is to rubbish Nyesom Wike in the state, but it appears the gambit appears to have failed woefully; thanks to wise application of President Bola Tinubu’s philosophical thoughts above.
Emeka Oraetoka
Information Management Consultant and Researcher.
Wrote in from Abuja.
e-mail:giltsdaimension@gmail.com.
GSM: 08056031187, 09039094636
