This title, which I used a decade ago in an article whose thesis I can hardly remember, came to me as I gazed at the screen of my computer as though I wanted the screen to give me a title for this article. Sometimes the phenomenon of writer’s block sets in when you want to put pen to paper, an expression that may well be replaced with ‘hit the keyboard’, but your head refuses to follow your hand because it could hardly think up anything for your fingers to transmit to the keyboard. This title came handy when two issues competed for my attention as a columnist.
The Supreme Court ruling on the presidential election petition filed by former President Atiku Abubakar and Mr. Peter Obi came up for attention. The second matter was the face-off between Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State and the his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Tomorrow came too early for the predecessor and successor but the Supreme Court has saved President Bola Ahmed Tinibu from his tomorrow which Atiku tried very hard to bring to fruition. Tomorrow is bound to come. How it comes is largely dependent on today. What we do today is the determinant of how tomorrow comes. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu;s tomorrow has been hard in coming because the issue of his school in the United States and the papers he used to gain admission into a University in that country have remained impregnable since 1999 when the matter surfaced. Former Vice- President Atiku Abubaker insists that the documents he got from the United States concerning the President showed that there was forgery, identity theft and perjury.
But the matter has remained a cat with many lives. The Supreme Court gave it another life, and perhaps a permanent life when it refused to accept Atiku’s documents in evidence. It refused to consider the academic records of the President obtained from the Chicago State University, which Atiku sought to tender as fresh evidence to prove his allegation of certificate forgery against the President. Justice Inyang Okoro, who read the judgment Said ‘it is a settled law that the time fixed by the constitution for the doing of anything cannot be extended. It is immutable, and it is fixed like the rock of Gibraltar, and it cannot be moved, expanded and elongated, or stretched beyond what it states’. That comment from the final arbiter on legal issues in the land put paid to determining the veracity of the evidence, given that the Supreme Court neither admitted or discussed it. It may yet rise again if the President decides to allow the status quo remain on that issue. Tomorrow may still come if the President and his aides do nothing to remedy the error of yesterday. Atiku says he has done well to tell Nigerians that something is fishy about the president’s educational background. But the President and his aides should move now and rectify whatever defaults therein, Moreso given that the Supreme Court did not comment on the matter. Someone may still decide to fish in that troubled water in the future. Tomorrow may still come.
But for the Governor of Rivers State Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Chief Nyesom Wike, tomorrow came rather early. The later helped put the former in office, but it would seem that Wike was posturing as the godfather of River’s politics. He wanted to run the state with a remote control in his hands. He would use it to turn the Governor’s channel where he wanted. Both men fell out too early in the day. Sim knows how he came into office. He probably also knew that his predecessor would make demands on him to the point of running the government with him. It is in the character of godfathers to take political control of their political wards. I insist that Fubara may have been deluding himself if he believed that Wike would allow him run the state without being overbearing. Wike seems to be in the political school of President Bola Tinubu, which was my surprise when elder statesman, Pa Edwin Clark, called on the President to intervene on the wrangling in Rivers State. Is it the same man in whose political pocket Lagos has been tucked comfortably, whom Wike saved from a damaging fall at the last polls, that would stop another emerging godfather? Wike is following the footsteps of his new political ally and I think Pa. Clark would be expecting too much to expect any resolution that would put Wike on the receiving end. The former governor was prepared for the tomorrow that came early. He has the state house of Assembly speaker and the majority in his pocket, which was why it took no time for the impeachment move against the governor to be activated. Impeachment seem to be the civilian equivalent of a coup. But Wike has noted that the matter would be resolved without going through that rout. Governors from the Peoples Democratic Party would eild into the matter.
Souerd political grapes are no news in the Nigerian clime. Way back in 1999, former Governor of former Enugu State, Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, fell out with former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani whom he helped come into office. In Abia State, former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, also fell out with former Gober Theodore Orji, whom he also helped to become the state helmsman. Both men fell out at a point. There are several instances of such matters in our political landscape. It is in the character of politicians to remain relevant. They must position themselves to wield influence and power. A man like Wike whose presidential ambition has not waned, it would be difficult to get him to look away from political control of Rivers State. We now know the marathon political ace for Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reached its conclusion. No one should expect Wike to give up too soon. The Rivers people should assert themselves and own their state.