By
Rahman Owokoniran
There is no doubt that Nyesom Wike is an angry man. He is angry with the Governor of Rivers State Siminalayi Fubara, angry with the People’s Democratic Party PDP, and angry with the political establishment at large. However, what remains unclear is the root of this rage. What exactly fuels Wike’s grievances? Is this righteous indignation, fallout from a breached “gentleman’s agreement,” or something more insidious?
After listening to his April 18, 2025, media chat, I struggled to reconcile his relentless attacks on the PDP—the very party that catapulted him from Local Government Chairman to Minister and later handed him the governorship of Nigeria’s oil-rich Rivers State for eight uninterrupted years. How does one square such career-defining patronage with his current crusade to dismantle the party? Truly, there is a thin line between love and hate.
When pressed during the interview about supporting PDP candidates in upcoming elections, Wike dodged outright commitment, conditioning his support on unspecified terms. This evasiveness hints at a deeper agenda: Bargaining for control or sabotaging the party outrightly. His rhetoric suggests a scorched-earth mentality— “If I cannot have it, no one will.”
Four Troubling Revelations from Wike’s Interview:
1. Defiance of Party Authority: Wike declared that National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu would “not vacate his position under any circumstance” until his tenure expires in December 2025. This unilateral decree undermines the party’s internal democratic processes.
2. Hijacking Party Timelines: He insisted the PDP’s August 2025 National Convention “will not hold” unless aligned with Anyanwu’s tenure. Since when does one individual dictate a major party’s calendar?
3. Hypocrisy on Governance: While chastising PDP governors for announcing peace plan recommendations on national television (dismissing them as a “pressure group”), Wike himself arrogates the right to unilaterally cancel conventions. The irony is glaring.
4. Baseless Allegations: He labelled PDP governors “double agents,” accusing them of covertly supporting President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid and seeking appointments from the APC-led government. Such incendiary claims —made without evidence—risk fracturing the party irreparably.
Wike’s accusations reek of a projection. Having openly backed Tinubu in 2023 while clinging to PDP membership, he now seeks to implicate others in his own hypocrisy. His threat to produce “hardcore evidence” against governors feels less like principled whistleblowing and more like a desperate bid to drag the entire party into his quagmire of bitterness.
The Governors’ Pragmatic Stance:
Contrary to Wike’s caricature, the governors’ public recommendations were framed as advisory —not authoritative. Their call for reconciliation and structural reforms reflects concern for the party’s survival, not a coup. Wike’s refusal to acknowledge this distinction exposes his preference for chaos over compromise.
His petulant ultimatum —“my way or nothing”— on the National Secretary’s position epitomizes political immaturity. Healthy parties thrive on negotiation, yet Wike dismisses middle-ground solutions, opting instead for self-serving maximalist demands. Equally reckless are his ad hominem attacks on governors for engaging President Tinubu. Since when is consulting a sitting President —irrespective of party— an act of betrayal?
The Rivers Crisis and Selective Victimhood:
Wike lamented that PDP governors failed to mediate in the Rivers State crisis, leaving APC figures to intervene. While fair criticism, this does not justify his broader vendetta. If Wike feels slighted by Atiku Abubakar’s 2022 snub (when Delta State’s Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was chosen as Vice-presidential Candidate over him), why punish the entire party?
Conclusion: A Party at a Crossroads
Wike’s brinkmanship threatens to cleave the PDP into irrelevance. His insistence on personal grudges over collective progress risks handing the currently ruling APC an unassailable advantage. While internal dissent is inevitable in politics, Wike’s tactics —public denigration, sabotage, and baseless smears— cross into self-destruction.
The PDP must confront this existential threat. Tolerating Wike’s toxicity for fear of losing his “structure” is a Faustian bargain. Conversely, expelling him risks short-term chaos but may salvage long-term integrity. Either way, Wike’s legacy now hinges on a stark choice: Martyr himself as the PDP’s destroyer or recalibrate as its reluctant reformer.
Power is transient, but the cost of hubris is eternal. Wike would do well to remember that no individual—no matter how influential—outlives the system they seek to break.
OWOKONIRAN WRITES FROM LAGOS
What a brilliant article! No holds barred!