By Ochereome Nanna
Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, must be feeling on top of the world right now. He has successfully retrieved the structure of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State from Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
*Fubara and WikeWith the endorsement of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party and the fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, witnessed and certified the recent congress of the Rivers State chapter of the party, all eyes are on the Governor to respond in the battle for his own political survival.
Wike is a “successful”
professional politician. He made it from being a bag carrier to former
governors of Rivers State to LGA chairman (Obio Akpor), minister, governor and
back to minister today, in a federal administration led by President Bola
Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He is the only PDP leader in the
Tinubu cabinet. Unlike in the past when victorious presidents negotiated with
opposition parties to form inclusive cabinets, Wike went into Tinubu’s
government on his own steam, and in defiance of critical stakeholders of the
PDP.
This is also the first time one member has
successfully held a major political party to ransom, and gotten away with it.
Wike should have been booted out. But he cannot be expelled because he has
captured the engine room of the party at the centre. He seemingly still has the
“deepest pocket” in the party, and willingness to deploy it.
The leadership of the PDP lost
control back in 2015-2019 when Wike volunteered the treasury of Rivers State to
keep it alive through the APC’s strenuous efforts to kill the party after it
lost power. In 2019, Wike tried (and failed) to sponsor his erstwhile friend,
Waziri Tambuwal, for president. In 2023, he entered the fray. But when
opportunistic Atiku Abubakar and his group manipulated the party’s secretariat
to edge out Wike, the latter formed the group of five rebel governors
(including Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of
Enugu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Abia) to scuttle PDP’s chances of returning to
power.
Wike pushed Peter Obi out to
brighten his chances of being picked for vice president. When this ambition hit
the rocks, he forged an alliance with Tinubu, the APC presidential flagbearer,
gave him a dubious victory in the presidential election in Rivers State, and
thus earned his place as FCT Minister.
Wike shifted his attention to
his honeypot, Rivers State, where his handpick, Governor Fubara, was on seat.
He wanted to be the Jagaban of Rivers State, in the same manner that Tinubu has
been the godfather of Lagos State, whose treasury he leveraged to fund his
presidential aspiration. It did not go well for him, because Fubara expectedly
rebelled to assert his authority. Wike and all his lawmakers, party and council
officials were disconnected from the Rivers State feeding bottle.
Wike has taken a major step to
bounce back. He got the INEC and NWC of the PDP to endorse the congress of his
faction of the PDP. It is unusual for a minister to overpower a governor in a
tussle of this nature, but Wike has pulled it off, more so because he has the
big elephant: the Tinubu Federal might, behind him.
While inaugurating his party
officials, Wike made some pronouncements which many Nigerians found unpalatable
and objectionable. He likened his loss of access to Governor Fubara’s “red
biro” to what happens to a businessman who makes an investment. He either makes
profit or loss. The “investment” on Fubara was a “loss”. Wike consoled his
followers to bear it and hope for profit next time.
This is not surprising from a
person who has become so “rich” through politics that he can overawe 12 PDP
Governors and Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President, multibillionaire and serial
presidential candidate. But it says so much about the politics we practise in
Nigeria today. Gone are the days when involvement in politics was for service,
which made it possible for our founding fathers like Dr Michael Okpara, Dr
Akanu Ibiam, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mallam Aminu Kano, Sir Ahmadu Bello
and others, to serve their people with distinction and without stuffing their
pockets.
During that era, Nigeria was one of the fastest
growing entities in the world. But today, because of the mentality that
politicians brought into politics, they have become billionaires on the
people’s money while Nigeria is ranked as the poverty capital of the world.
Wike also threatened to “put fire” in the state of
any PDP governor who intervenes in Rivers politics. That is totally a direct
violation of Section 37(1) of the Criminal Code. It is a treasonable offence
and unbecoming of a lawyer, ex-governor and cabinet minister. Wike can be held
vicariously responsible for any breakdown of law and order in any PDP state,
and no one has monopoly of violence!
Here is the caveat emptor (buyer
beware) for Wike. He may, or he may not succeed in regaining control of Rivers
State in 2027. Even if he imposes another governor, there is no guarantee he
would not record another “business loss”. No governor wants to be bossed.
Since Wike is in Tinubu’s hands, Rivers will ultimately be in Tinubu’s pocket.
There can’t be two Jagabans.
Either way, Wike will lose
Rivers in the end.
*Nnanna
is a commentator on public issues
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