It is every good parent’s prayer that their children should be greater than them. When they send such children to school, they pray for them to excel and come out of the University to dominate in their endeavour. As it is in the biological family, so it is in the political family. All the major
It is every good parent’s prayer that their children should be greater than them. When they send such children to school, they pray for them to excel and come out of the University to dominate in their endeavour. As it is in the biological family, so it is in the political family. All the major politicians in Rivers state still pay homage to Dr. Peter Odili, a man who mentored and groomed them for politics. Former Governor Nyesom Wike was the man friday to Rotimi Amaechi but today, Wike has dwarfed Amaechi’s political stature and influence in Rivers state and he didn’t achieve that without a direct confrontation with his former boss.
Wike is a man who likes to set records. As governor of Rivers state, he is well known for the several achievements associated with his tenure. He was a two-term governor who served for eight years. Towards the end of his tenure, he was commissioning projects on a weekly or bi-monthly basis. He became known as “Mr. Projects” both in his state and across Nigeria. Wike is a political strategist. He is a calculative politician who schemes well ahead of his peers and subordinates. He knows how to use power. When he was to be stopped from winning his second term in office, Wike fought the battle of his life, rousing the citizens to take the battle to the military barracks; against the guns. He survived it and results were declared in his favour.
Former Governor Wike had built and cultivated legions of able lieutenants from all sectors and in every corner and cranny of Rivers state in his eight years as governor. Towards the 2023 election, as a political strategy, Wike issued letters of appointments as Special Assistants to the Governor, to over two hundred thousand people in the state. His calculation may have worked as Fubara, often described as Wike’s stooge scored 302,614 votes while his closest rival and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Pastor Tonye Cole, came second with a total number of 95,274. He was lucky but politics is a turf where treachery thrives and Wike’s candidates could have lost at other times.
There’s more than meets the eye in the relationship and covenant that may have been entered into before by the duo before Wike adopted Fubara as his godson and the one to take over power from him. From the much that has been spilled within a short time of their spar, it is not impossible money is involved. A certain message circulating on the social media said Wike wants to be collecting 25 percent of Rivers state monthly federal allocation. Fubara allegedly negotiated this to 10 percent but Wike was not pleased with this. He had expected Fubara to bring the great white hope to his group and hold Rivers state as a proxy for him. But something may have snapped somewhere and the proxy couldn’t take the humiliation anymore. Wike moved through the remnant of his group holding strategic positions by trying to impeach the governor. However, it appears he was trying to lock the stable when the horse has bolted.
Former Governor Wike never said yes or no to the issue of money being the issue. He said those saying that can say whatever and reminded them of how far he has traveled politically and by inference saying he is not a poor man. But he also alluded to having to take care of his structure and that no politician worth his salt would like to be cut off from his base immediately like that. But is it possible for him to eat his cake and still have it? Wike is now Governor of Federal Capital Territory, albeit Minister and cannot hold the same position through whatever formular or strategy in Rivers state. Nobody says Wike should not have his loyalists but should he straddle the state as he did as Governor, from his Abuja new base?. There’s a Yoruba proverb that says no matter how tough a dog is, it cannot guard two houses simultaneously.
Speaking from the two sides of his mouth, embattled former Governor Wike said in response to the political brouhaha in Rivers state last Tuesday that “I’m not interested in the governance of Rivers State, I’m interested in the political structure in Rivers state which we have built for years”.. .If anybody dares to bring it down, then the person should be ready to face the consequences and crisis he wants in his life. People who are carrying propaganda of 25% must be fools who don’t know anything”.
What structure is Wike trying to preserve? Did he allow his predecessor to preserve theirs or bullied and intimidated them into submission. Is it the structure that has not made the people to breathe? Anyone who has followed Wike’s political trajectory knows he’s a power monger and his current spar the with incumbent governor is more about power, control and unfettered access to Rivers state vault. How to decimate money and resources that should be devoted to serving the people and providing infrastructure.
Is this an attempt to hoodwink? What structure is Wike trying to preserve? Did he allow his predecessor to preserve theirs or bullied and intimidated them into submission. Anyone that has followed Wike’s political trajectory knows he’s a power monger and his current spa with incumbent governor is about power, control and unfettered access to Rivers vault. How to share money and resources that should be devoted to serving the people and providing infrastructure.
Now Wike knows that a house divided against itself cannot stand but refused all entreaties to unite with his colleagues in PDP until they lost the coveted trophy. Wike Knew how to use the Courts from bottom to top. His graduand with whom they generated many plots and whose responsibility, it was to facilitate payment for Lawyers and other judicial officers is now in the saddle and would no doubt do well in the handling of the matter at stake through the judicial system as mastered under Wike.
On Wednesday, a Rivers State High Court issued an interim order restraining the Rivers State House of Assembly from proceeding with the planned impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The court restrained the Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, Deputy Speaker, Dumle Mao, the Clerk of the House, and the State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi.
Justice O. Ben-Whyte issued the restraining order after Fubara’s lawyer, Damian Okoro, argued before him an ex parte application marked IHC/230/CS/2023. The judge, in his ruling, held that: “It is hereby ordered that the parties in the case maintain the status quo in the case by the applicant as the Governor of Rivers State pending the application of the Motion on Notice. The case is adjourned till the 14th of November, 2023 for the argument of the Motion on Notice.
Governor Fubara Apologises to Rivers State People
In what appears a response to a query issued and a preconditional demand for reconciliation between the godfather and his godson, the Governor of Rivers state on Saturday apologized to the Rivers state citizens. “As governor, I sincerely apologise to the good people of Rivers State for the regrettable anxieties of the last few days, while thanking you all for your concerns, and continued support, love, and prayers”. It is good to seek place, afterall, he is now in the saddle.
In the statement, the governor recalled what took place from Sunday when there was a fire incident at the State House of Assembly and “assure the good people and youths of rivers state, that peace will certainly prevail and we shall continue to work together to advance the peace, security, progress and development of our state”.
He tried to massage the ego of his godfather when he wrote:” It is the collective responsibility of the immediate past governor and Minister of the federal capital territory, His excellency, Chief Barrister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, GSSRS, Life Bencher and my humble self, to leverage on our positions and influences within and outside the state to advance the progress, security and well-being of our people”.
Moment of Truth for Wike
In the few days of their squabbles, the two sides have shown Nigerians samples of possibilities. Former Governor has said impeachment is not a coup plot but a constitutional process in a democracy. Governor has demonstrated the dexterity of a good student who has graduated from Wike’s school of politics. He has succeeded in making a mincemeat of Wike’s political play book of strategies and structures. Fubara understands Wike and had checkmated him spying from his playbook. Governor Wike must face the new realities, one of which is that he is no longer the Governor of the state. The short squabbles dented Wike’s image and demystified him. He didn’t need so early against his successor. Moving against such an unassuming and innocent-looking Sim Fubara will always be a Wike’s nemesis. A word is enough for the wise.
