By
Coker Onita
This is not an appeal to Governor Nyesom Wike, Executive Governor of Rivers State, not to do his will. No!
Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees his freedom to move from one political party to the other. Indeed, as Executive Governor, he holds the knife and the yam. He has, with a measure of invincibility, sold himself to his admirers that he’s h Tardworking, innocent, a fighter for the oppressed. He’s fighting for the entire Southern part of Nigeria and ready, if need be, to die for their interest.
This, call it sweeping generalisation, is absolutely untrue. Indeed, it’s further from the truth.
Governor Wike is not only selfish, he’s wicked and inconsiderate. The facts are there for everybody to see!
Since he won the election into the Rivers State Government House in 2015, he has not given anybody the iota of doubt that he’s fully in charge. In collaboration with the then Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, he imposed Alhaji Modu Sherrif on PDP as National Chairman. And for the period it lasted, it was hell for most party faithful. But for providence and the political dexterity of some PDP leaders, the party would have broken into pieces.
When the party succeeded in removing Modu Sherrif, he and his cohorts manoeuvred everybody to foist Alhaji Mohammed Makarfi, former Governor of Kaduna State as Interim Chairman. At the next national convention, all efforts to micro-zone the chairmanship to South West and Lagos in particular, were thwarted by Wike. His kinsman and preferred choice, Mr. Uche Secondus, eventually got elected as National Chairman. Sooner than later, Governor Wike started finding faults with the gentleman in order for him to secure the position of Presidential Candidate for himself. He knew if Uche Secondus remained as National Chairman, his chances of pickings the party ticket would be slim. He eventually replaced him with Senator ( Dr.) lyorchia Ayu. The calculation is that once the Chairman comes from the North, he’s sure to secure the party ticket.
Now, within a few months of Ayu’s entry, Governor Wike is seriously clamouring for his exit, all because he did not support him to secure the presidential ticket at the convention. Everyone knows that on a good day, the place the ticket should go was the South East not South South, where Governor Wike hails from.
For every discerning mind, something must be wrong. There is certainly no smoke without fire. If nothing is chasing the rat, the rat is certainly chasing something!
Unknown to people, Governor Wike is chasing something. Wike wants to be Nigeria’s next President and nothing must stand in his way.
Having perceptibly cleared all hurdles, and put all calculations in place, he still lost the presidential primaries. Since then, nobody in PDP, from top to bottom, has known peace.
Governor Wike has done everything possible to embarrass the party, its leadership and its Presidential Candidate. He has variously accused them of corruption, graft, nepotism, bigotry, etc.
The last straw that literally broke the camel’s back was his open endorsement of Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lago State for a second term. For a PDP Governor to leave his home state of Rivers and come to Lagos to endorse an opposition candidate is not only reprehensible, reckless and irresponsible, it is the height of political insubordination and rascality.
Think of it for a second: Can any PDP Governor leave his home state and come to Rivers to endorse an APC Governorship Candidate or any party for that matter? Think! Won’t Governor Wike accuse the Governor of heresy, abomination and rascality?
This action should be condemned in totality. So, for failure to pick the presidential ticket, is Wike now determined to throw away the baby with the bath water and completely demolish the house he and worthy others have laboured to build in all their political life?
What a great pity!
Somebody should be reminding Governor Wike that there is always tomorrow. If it does not work for him today, it can work tomorrow. Governor Wike should thread softly. The future is surely bright for him.
“Kuulu tempa,” our brother from South-South!
On a final note, kudos must be given to the PDP leadership and its presidential flag-bearer, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, for their reconciliatory posture. All will be well.
Former Editor of Prime People and Publisher/Chief Executive of Today’s Choice Magazine (TC), Coker Onita is a veteran journalist and PDP Leader from KOSOFE Local Government, Lagos State