What does Chief Nyesom Wike want after 8 Years as Governor and now minister of the federal republic of Nigeria? That is the question a lot of Nigerians are asking: It is easily perceivable that Wike is power hungry and would do anything to remain relevant in the political space. He has manifested that trait ever since he began his political career as the Chairman of Obio-Akpor local government in Rivers state. Wike loves power and knows how to use it. But wisdom would tell that he requires a lot of discretion to handle this battle with his successor in office, though the superiority contest and gulf are deepening. Politically, if he loses this battle, it may hurt and hunt him forever but it would humble him.

Wike doesn’t like to be challenged and often decimates those who dare challenge him. He does not only boast of what he can do, he often shows them and consigns them to political dustbin of history. He is no doubt a political strategist who is very calculative. He goes all out to court persons who will serve his interest today or in the nearest future. There’s no way to find Wike’s heart construction on his face when it comes to politics. It only takes one act of provocation to get him into gear. Once he picks up the gauntlet, there’s no letting up. Prof Iyorcha Ayu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar would have their memoirs filled with different episodes of Wike as a fighter.

As Governor of Rivers State, Wike had a large percentage of the politicians in his party in his pocket. With Rotimi Amaechi as governor and Wike as his Chief of Staff, he was able to build loyalty without Amaechi trying to strangulate him. But no one dare tries such under Wike; if he suspects you, you will be bullied and put out of circulation and relevance. If you’re overtly ambitious, you’re a goner. He told his party members that he was not interested in who succeeds him but those who could read his lips understood what he was saying. He had plotted the graph of how his favourite and anointed aspirant would emerge.

Cleverly, he bought the nomination forms for all the aspirants in his party and they were given to only his anointed aspirants including the incumbent governor Fubara. With the current realities on ground, tongues are now wagging and people are asking: How can one man be directing the affairs of millions of people without even being in power in the state? He is of course in power by proxy in Rivers. That is why he is able to convince 27 lawmakers to switch parties, just like that. This was, however, seen coming especially when those lawmakers were invited to Abuja for a so-called retreat. How the Wike’s manacle would be broken would be collectively determined by the Rivers people. They will have to put an end to all the nonsense about godfathers who don’t want to know about the welfare of their people, but their stomach.

To remain relevant politically, nothing can be put beyond Wike, including being seen on the dinner’s table with a once strange bed fellow. There are a couple of speculations on what Chief Wike could be up to. While some feel the defection of his loyalists is to hasten the Governor Fubara’s removal through an impeachment process to be orchestrated by the defection of the 27 lawmakers. Others speculate that he may have entered into a deal to help Tonye Cole, the governorship candidate of the APC to get to power through the judgement pending at the Supreme Court. But pundits posit that he would get a worse treatment from Tonye Cole than the rough times he’s experiencing in the hands of Fubara.

No Chief Executive of a state wants to be perceived as a puppet of a predecessor. Most successful godfathers operate from behind the seen not too visible all the time. But then the Tonye Cole option appears too far fetched for Wike, even the prayer in court is not to declare Tonye Cole winner, rather it is to cancel Rivers State election. Again, questions are being asked why would Wike be hopeful he can swing things for Tonye Cole, if true, at the Apex Court?

Though Wike has said impeachment of an elected governor is not a coup because it is provided for in the Nigerian constitution. He, has, however, promised to give the governor sleepless nights by giving him more political troubles than he can chew. He may not go the full hog to impeach Governor Sim Fubara, if the mood is not right. It is now being seen that things he did against his party in the guise of fighting for principle were for his personal benefits and ego. His fellow group of 5 governors who joined him to work against the PDP must be sulking wherever, they are now, except Governor Seyi Makinde of Oto State.

Here’s a Wike who had openly advocated against defection because he said the defectors cannot transfer the votes of people who voted for him or her in the other party. Here’s a man who said the APC was plagued by cancer and PDP suffering from headache and he cannot leave a party suffering from headache to a party suffering from cancer. People are wondering if APC’s cancer has now been cured.

Why is Wike trying to play God now? Here’s a man who once announced that the second phase of his battle after the governorship election was to bring back the PDP from Buccaneers who have hijacked it. But his actions suggest something to the contrary. Rather, he’s the one offering the party on a platter to Buccaneers and that is why many people are waiting, praying and hoping that he would be bruised politically in his current battle against an unassuming Governor Fubara, a comrade at arms with whom they have plotted and executed war plans in the past.