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It’s a fact that, while many high-profile politicians manage to maintain friendships across the aisle, not every friendship is innocent. Some connections live in the shadows. There are extrinsic reasons why some “friends” cozy up to you. The present highly polarised political climate in Nigeria where honour has lost its true value, has led to numerous personal accounts of trusted, long-standing friendships being irreparably torn apart by fundamental ideological differences. Matter of fact, friendships are supposed to be two-sided, and they must bring mutual happiness and joy to the partners.
Disappointingly, politics can ruin all of that. That’s when people you trust betray you, often operating with ulterior motives you only understand when it has become too late. That, it appears, is where we are today ahead of 2027 general election. Like a broken family whose members will prefer to destroy their father’s inheritance rather than share it, the unravelling dirty duel between Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, and his old pal, and in-law, Nyesome Wike, super Minister of the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), gives a tutorial in the “No honour among thieves” phenomenon. These are not my words. It’s an old proverb rooted in ancient Rome(Cicero noted thieves have laws and Greek philosophy(Plato). The fallout between the duo disputes the older idea of “honour among thieves”, which suggested that even bad guys that belong to a gang ought to follow some internal rules or codes of conduct.
Will anyone have believed that the shared loyalty between Wike and Makinde, two prominent members of the G-5 Governors, a faction of disgruntled Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), who strongly opposed the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Atiku Abubakar, demanding “equity and a Southern presidency”, would fall apart so soon – from bromance to breakup? Both men are now washing their dirty linen in public. Well, after all, in politics, it’s said that there are no permanent friends or enemies but permanent interests. Alliances do shift based on needs, not loyalty. Who says Nigerian politics is not a fun to follow?
These two men- Wike and Makinde – alongside three other “Aso Ebi” (‘errand boys’) governors – Okezie Ikpeazu(Abia), Samuel Orton(Benue), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi(Enugu)- walked against the PDP’s official line during the 2023 election, by withholding support for their own party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, even though they still claim to be members of PDP seeking ‘internal reforms’, while working overtime to destroy their own party to ensure the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027. Meanwhile, PDP is almost dead. Atiku has since moved to a new party, the ADC. Two of the G-5 Governors – Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi have been handsomely rewarded with ambassadorial position, courtesy of Wike, leaving Ortom in the lurch.
The startling revelations coming from Makinde and Wike will be part of the 2026 campaign. For now, Wike appears to be winning. The fad is that ‘what Wike cannot do, does not exist’. He’s the only minister in the present dispensation who is exempt from the Treasury Single Account(TSA). This gives him unlimited access to steamroll any deal that favours the President’s re-election bid. Like a Nollywood movie, Nigerians are being entertained by these two ex pals, now sworn enemies. As you are aware, Wike is both a talker and a tackler. He’s not afraid to walk in the dark alone. Neither is he afraid to fight dirty(naked, if necessary) in a crowded market.
Gov Fubara of Rivers state, who dared challenge his “chi”(godfather) can attest to Wike’s ‘take no prisoners’ posture. Governor Makinde on the other hand, is the opposite of Wike’s tough as nails character. He is more sober and reflective of his public image and place in history. But, beneath his quiet mien, those close to him say Makinde loves a momentum of classic drama. Ignore him at your own peril. Interestingly, both men are beyond “good and evil”, to borrow the words of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. They can change through time and circumstances. What you consider your values and truth seem not to apply to them.
Both men are currently making headlines in the media. Their names have become folders that evoked the sordid past of the 2023 presidential, and possibly, will have a distinctive smell of the next election. Like him, or hate him(and many do), Wike is like a ‘charmed offensive’, a magic circle that never stops turning. He knows where his bread is buttered. It’s on Tinubu’s mandate he stands, dead or alive. Wike is one man who tolerates drama well. It’s a kind of oxygen of publicity that keeps him in constant public view. He hardly can do without enemies. That mirrors his character. It’s like that of a “manchild” who throws tantrums at anyone who disagrees with him. This defines his style of politics. He has a short fuse, and when it’s fully charged, it packs a wallop that can pull down a roof.
Sometimes, vituperations are encased in the armour of arrogance called hubris. It shows in his irascible choice of language. His temperament has often been questioned. It’s a language akin to that of “Area boys” that manifests openly during confrontation. I find Wike’s abrasive character close to what Plutarch(C.46- 120CE), the renowned Greek historian, and essayist wrote in one of his influential works : “Life of Alexander”. The Life of Alexander is a biographic account of Alexander the Great, his legendary military genius, ambition and complex character. The book chronicles Alexander the Great’s conquests of Persian Empire, blending historical events with anecdotes to illustrate his virtues and flaws. Wike hardly loses any battle.
In the words of Plutarch, “the most glorious exploits do not always furnish us with the clearest discoveries of vice or virtue in men. Sometimes a matter of less moment, an expression or a jest, informs us better of their character and inclination than the most famous sieges, the greatest armaments, or the bloodiest battle”. These flaws, not virtues of Wike, are what Makinde tried to tell Nigerians last week during a media chat in Ibadan, Oyo state capital. Makinde recounted a meeting at Aso Villa attended by President Tinubu, his Chief of Staff(Femi Gbajabiamila), Wike, himself(Makinde), and others.
He alleges that their fallout stemmed from Wike’s declaration during the meeting to “hold down” PDP for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. It was a statement, Makinde said “shocked” him, because Tinubu did not request Wike to make such pledge. Sounding very pained by Wike’s behaviour, Makinde said he regretted supporting Tinubu in 2023. The question is: Didn’t Makinde know that by siding with Wike to pull down PDP that he is equally vicariously liable? While admitting that Wike is free to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, he warned that attempts by agents of the ruling APC to weaken or destroy the PDP could undermine multiparty democracy in Nigeria. That should be a concern for any lover of democracy, but no briefcase of excuses will exonerate Makinde from whatever has happened to PDP. Does Wike care? In a media chat in Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike dismissed Makinde’s allegations as “blatant lies”. He said there was no such meeting with the President as alleged by Makinde. He also called Makinde a “frustrated man”, adding that the present crisis in PDP was caused by Makinde. Wike insists he is strongly supporting Tinubu’s re-election. He admitted that much in Port Harcourt over the weekend when he addressed his band of supporters, including members of the State House of Assembly and their families. “On his mandate, we stand”, he said.
President Tinubu must be relishing what Wike is doing for him. How does that make Makinde feel now? Atiku will be having a good laugh. As expected, before Wike’s media chat in Port Harcourt yesterday, his surrogates have been having good time attacking Makinde. His media aide, Lere Olayinka, called Makinde “selfish” in his political dealings. He accused him of lacking loyalty to any individual or political party. Olayinka also alleges that Makinde is always driven by personal ambition, adding that he(Makinde) joined the G-5 Governors only to secure his re-election in 2023.
Not to be left out of the fray Ayo Fayose, another member of Wike’s supporting cast, and later-day ‘friend’ of Tinubu, has accused Makinde of destroying the PDP structure in the South West. He also alleged without evidence, that Makinde got a grant of N50bn from the President and abused power by taking over all choice lands in Oyo state, alienating many of those who backed his rise to power. “Almost everybody who worked for his ascension has been driven away”, Fayose alleged without proof.
Taken as a whole, despite their accomplishments in politics and stupendous wealth, you don’t need any lenses to see the character of both Wike and Makinde. Until last week when their conflict boiled over, some people saw Makinde as a mole in PDP, while Wike is seen as the undertaker of PDP. Truth is, Wike is smarter than all his band of G-5 colleagues put together, even though he’s now looking physically slapped of energy. That’s one of the reasons why Makinde is whining. He feels short-changed by Wike. Many Nigerians are so turned off and so openly resentful of Wike’s ruthless, win-at- all cost strategy and aggressive mudslinging against political opponents.
Being an associate of Wike in the past, Makinde has equally made himself a sore thumb, a joy killer, despite his achievements as a governor and a businessman before his foray into the slippery pole of Nigerian politics. Now, it all boils down to a friend, accusing another friend, of betrayal. This much is expected: According to Perry Stone, the best-selling author of “The Judas Goat”, betrayal by enemies is expected, but when it comes from family and friends, it can be devastating. Judas Goat is an actual goat raised with the sheep in the field- eating with them, and generally gaining their trust.
However, when the time comes to lead the sheep into the slaughterhouse, the sheep will follow the Judas goat into specially marked pens, the back of trucks and in some instances into the slaughterhouse itself. In short, the Judas Goat summarises the people in our lives who are operating with ulterior motives. Nigerian politics is awash with such politicians. Look around you, don’t you see them? Our democracy is at risk with such people.
