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Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has become the major issue in Nigerian politics for so many reasons, including his brand of politics and doggedness. Like him or hate him, Wike is now the beautiful bride of Nigerian politics and so many suitors are wooing him to be part of their team ahead of the 2023 general elections. Wike came into political limelight when he became the Minister of State for Education in the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. As a junior minister, Wike was all over the place ensuring that the unity colleges offer the best education compared to their counterparts anywhere in the world. Wike as a minister was a huge success. His achievements in the education sector are verifiable. That was after being the chairman of a local government in his state and being the chairman of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi campaign organization and his chief of Staff. Wike’s politics is progressive, developmental and combative.
His politics can be aggressive and domineering at times. No matter how critics appraise his politics, they don’t deny his monumental achievements in Rivers State. Even his political enemies admit that Wike has done well in the state. What they don’t like about Wike is what they describe as his garrulousness and overbearing tendencies. He became more prominent when he contested the governorship seat of Rivers State and won it against all odds. He became more daring when he won his reelection as the governor of the oil-rich Rivers State. When the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost steam after losing the 2015 general election, Wike singlehandedly rebuilt the party and financed it and made it relevant as an opposition party against the formidable and boastful All Progressives Congress (APC). His peculiar brand of politics marked with talking tough and at times talking down on opponents and some individuals, Wike literally became the face of the PDP and there is little difference between Wike and the PDP. He was rumoured to have singlehandedly made Uche Secondus the chairman of the PDP and was alleged to be instrumental in his dethronement. Wike played a vital role in ensuring that Atiku Abubakar clinched the PDP presidential ticket in the party primaries in Port Harcourt before the 2019 general election. There was a time that it seemed that Wike controlled and determined what happened in PDP.
And prior to the PDP presidential convention in Abuja, Wike campaigned in all parts of the country. He boasted that he was the best man for the job and what he wanted was the presidency and not the vice president. He worked hard as he also talked tough about his presidential ambition. He nearly got the PDP nomination until the coup by Tambuwal, his bossom friend. The political betrayal of Wike by Tambuwal was what thwarted Wike’s presidential ambition. After that dollar rain PDP primaries, Wike spoke in silence for days, weeks and months. Instead of placating Wike with the vice presidential slot, the party again failed to rise to the occasion and gave it to Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who also fits the bill. Even Wike said he would not be a VP, his being denied the slot probably angered him the more. And the inability of Atiku Abubakar to visit him personally and explain things worsened the situation. He probably knew that silence at times is a figure of speech. He knew that one can say a lot through studied silence. After denying Wike the PDP ticket he narrowly missed on account of ethnic politics, the PDP and Atiku Abubakar refused to placate Wike over the way he was treated. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State said much in this direction but no one cared to listen to Ortom. Wike left the PDP convention arena but has since then became a political juggernaut, timber and cartapillar, apology to Dr. KO Mbadiwe. He turned Rivers State another Jerusalem where Christian faithful go for pilgrimage. Suddenly, Wike became indispensable in PDP and even in other rival parties. The APC and Labour Party (LP) are frantically seeking an alliance with the strongman of Garden City politics. If Wike goes to Dubai, they will follow him there; if he goes to Paris, they will follow him there; if he goes to London, they will follow him there. Wike has turned failure into victory and everybody, every politician worth the name is seeking for his support. Wike has supports from his fellow governors who follow him each time he jets out of the country. They include Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Samuel Ortom.
Wike has become a force you can ignore at your own peril. He has become the rejected stone that has become the chief corner stone. No doubt, Wike is having a good laugh. Wike is probably enjoying himself. Wike is a strong fighter. Former First Lady, Patience Jonathan likes Wike’s doggedness and fighting spirit. She once said that “if you want to fight Wike, Wike will bring the fight to your doorstep.” In other words, Wike is not afraid of war and he is not afraid of picking quarrels.
Wike is playing his own game and he appears to be enjoying the support of the crowd and taking his time before making a political decision. Is Wike going into alliance with Bola Tinubu’s APC or Peter Obi’s LP or staying put with his PDP? What does Wike really want in 2023 political dispensation? That is a man who wants nothing but the presidency. He does not want the vice presidency. What does Wike want now assuming he jumps camp or cross-carpet to another party? It is not for nothing that Wike’s politics has literally taken the shine off the lingering ASUU strike, the political debate at the 62nd Annual Conference of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the beautiful keynote address delivered with great finesse by globally acclaimed and celebrated Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. While Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and Kassim Shettima spoke on what they will do for Nigerians if elected in 2023, Adichie lamented the poor leadership that has trailed the giant of Africa and the dearth of heroes in our land. Nigeria is the way it is simply because we lack people who would like to work and die for the country. We no longer have those who will lead by personal example. Nigeria is bad today because we don’t have leaders in the mould of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Ahmadu Bello. We don’t have great thinkers like Aminu Kano, Dr. MI Okpara, Mazi Mbonu Ojike, Tai Solarin and many others. In their place we have corrupt leaders who play transactional politics and politics of self and ethnicity and even religion.
There is no doubt that Nigeria is at the crossroads once again. And the 2023 election is like no other. It is a referendum on the nation’s continued existence as one country. So many factors will shape the outcome of that election, including the growing population of young voters. That is why INEC must put its house in order and ensure that the poll is free, fair and credible. The results must be electronically transmitted. That is the only way to ensure that it is not rigged. Any manual collation of election results will lead to rigging.
Since the PDP reneged in zoning its presidential ticket to the South, they will live with the consequences of that bad decision. The PDP has not been fair to Wike. It has not been fair to the South which nurtured it since being boxed into opposition, even though a weak one. But the country and those wooing Wike cannot be made to wait indefinitely. Wike should take a decision now that many political suitors want to marry him. Like a beautiful bride, he should make that decision now before the suitors start running away. But he should be mindful of the party he wants to join. Any one he joins has its consequences, whether good or bad. Having worked hard, Wike deserves all the attention he is getting now from fellow politicians and Nigerians.
