Rivers state is in political turbulence because of a battle for supremacy between a godfather and his godson. It is, however, a reenactment of the law of Karma. The political godson has come of age and has started implementing the playbook used by his godfather against his previous enemy but kept in a secret place for his use at the appropriate time. The law is essentially of cause and effect: what a person does comes back to him.

Former Governor Amaechi suffered worse treatment from Wike his successor. After an inquiry into Amaechi’s tenure, the Rivers state White Paper almost deprived him of a ministerial position but for the determination of President Buhari and the influence of Saraki as Senate President. Amaechi was one of those five PDP governors who walked out of their party convention to join the APC. Amaechi survived the onslaught but he is today a shadow of himself in the politics of Rivers State.

As once predicted by former Governor Wike, it is difficult and foolhardy to fight a Governor because he wields tremendous power that can be deployed against a perceived enemy. But beclouded of the power of a Minister or the humongous resources available to him, former Governor Wike decided to play a revisionist game and challenged the will of Governor Fubara, his political godson. But that has boomeranged and the hunter has become the hunted.

To some analysts, Wike was the first aggressor against Governor Fubara when he attempted to impeach him using his associates in the State House of Assembly. But for the intervention of President Tinubu that could have happened with unpredictable consequences. The two parties reached an eight-point resolution, brokered by the President, and the sword of impeachment was removed. But Governor Fubara became the butt of a joke as a weakling. Unknown to many, he merely stooped to conquer. He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.

He went back to his drawing table and consulted with core politicians some of whom had an axe to grind with Wike and wanted to clip his wings. That impeachment move had backfired big time and has resulted in torrents of trouble for Wike. Governor Fubara recently alluded to his next moves using an allegory of “when a man corks a gun and puts it to your head but for some mysterious reason, the gun refused to fire, that person has literarily killed you. You don’t give such a person another chance”.

The arsenals are being launched in phases against Wike. His imposed Commissioners have started quitting Governor Fubara’s government in droves because they have been stripped of functionality and effectiveness. A parallel Speaker of the House of Assembly has emerged and working under protection from the Government House. The other 25-member House of Assembly loyal to Wike has been restrained by the Court to stop functioning.

A civil Society group has written Governor Fubara “We are writing to submit a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act to the office of the Executive Governor of Rivers State. The purpose of this request is to seek transparency and accountability regarding the alleged sale, transfer, or conversion of landed properties belonging to the Rivers State.

The Governor has said publicly that he intends to look into the governance of Rivers State under Wike. He has also said that the biggest monster confronting his government is the huge contractors’ debts left behind by the Wike administration. His government has been inundated with several requests from contractors seeking the payment of their balance. This is ironic. After all, when those projects were being commissioned in the twilight of Wike’s administration, his refrain was that all the contractors had been paid fully because he didn’t want to burden his successor in office.

This fight is not just that of Wike against Fubara anymore. The people of the State are polarised into two camps and it appears Governor Fubara as the underdog has gained the support of the majority of Rivers people who genuinely and fairly want Wike to allow Fubara to govern. The chicken is coming home gradually to roost. Former All Progressives Congress, APC 2015, governorship aspirant in Rivers State, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, has accused Nyesom Wike of seizing and dasing off the state’s property to his friends and cronies as governor.

Peterside also accused Wike of being on a property acquisition spree. He said Wike had cornered no fewer than 400 houses for himself and his cronies in ways he described as “ridiculous and undignified.” He expressed disdain that the Wike even evicted some senior civil servants from their homes in the old and new GRAs and collected their residences.

It is believed that investigations are ongoing on some of the properties which include; the old NDDC building on Aba Road; the mall on GRA junction (under demolition); ⁠West African Glass Industry; ⁠Rivers State University Hostel K Campus; ⁠Rivers State High Rise aka PHC Towers; ⁠Nigeria Engineering Works aka NEW; ⁠Civil servants Lodge building at Old GRA; ⁠Shoprite complex; the Hypercity land by NLNG roundabout (Eastern Bypass); and Government properties from Tombia junction to Opobo Crescent, spanning over 20 buildings.

Former Governor Wike is also alleged to have accumulated debts with workers owed salaries and their entitlements; questions are now being raised on the propriety of the larger-than-life Father Christmas figure being exhibited by Wike on behalf of Rivers State. It was estimated that he doled out donations to various states, causes, and individuals from 2019 to 2023.

Donations to States:
Benue State: N500 million to support victims of the 2018 herdsmen attacks. – Sokoto State: N500 million to support victims of the 2022 Sokoto boat mishap. – Bayelsa State: N200 million to support victims of the 2022 Bayelsa flood disaster.

Donations to Groups and Individuals:
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU): N300 million to support the union’s strike action in 2020. – Nigeria Bar Association (NBA): N200 million to support the association’s annual conference in 2021. – National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS): N100 million to support the association’s activities. – Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO): N100 million in 2023. – National Council of Women Societies (NCWS): N50 million in 2022.

Donations to Build or Renovate Institutions Across the Country:
Bayelsa State Government: N5 billion for the construction of a new law school campus in Yenagoa. – University of Ibadan: N500 million for the renovation of the university’s library. – University of Nigeria, Nsukka: N200 million for the renovation of the university’s Faculty of Engineering. – Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria: N100 million for the renovation of the university’s Faculty of Law. – Federal Polytechnic, Bida: N100 million for the construction of a new engineering workshop.

Donations for Flood and Fire Victims in Various States: Flood Victims:
Benue State: N500 million in 2018. – Delta State: N100 million in 2022. – Kogi State: N100 million in 2022. – Anambra State: N100 million in 2022. – Ebonyi State: N100 million in 2022. – Imo State: N100 million in 2022. Fire Victims: – Onitsha Main Market Fire: N1 billion in 2021.- Ariaria Market Fire: N500 million in 2020. – Sokoto market fire: N500 million in 2021. The total sum of the donations is N11.25 billion.

The tide has turned and daggers are drawn already. President Tinubu has pledged his non-interference in the matter except for a breakdown of law and order. Wike should not have shown his hand so early, sticking his neck about the impeachment of the Governor; that has caused him pain in the neck. Fubara has become a hard nut to crack as the power game is rapidly changing. With Wike who is not whole-heartedly welcomed in the APC and hated with passion in the PDP for his role in the Party’s defeat in the 2023 election, “Mr. Project” may soon find out that he is in the middle of nowhere. He will struggle strenuously to defend his name and reputation.