It is often said that to create order efficiently, one must first create some chaos. And as far as Nigeria politics is concerned, no one has consistently, relentlessly, and ruthlessly created political chaos for APC better than the outspoken and gregarious Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. In fact, for the past seven years, no voice has grown louder and bolder than that of the Rivers Governor. In effect, Wike’s consistent and continuous criticism remained the most painful and powerful thorn on APC and that of President Muhammadu’s contentious administration.
For a country that’s fast descending into a one-party state, Wike’s uncharacteristic intervention and dissenting views remain vitally crucial to the survival of the Nation’s nascent democracy. Not surprisingly the quiet manner in which the Rivers Governor painstakingly took PDP’s survival battle as his while warming himself into the minds of disenchanted and angry Nigerians, many of whom see him as a voice of reason with his unmatched alternative opinion.
Wike’s vitriolic rhetoric to say the least has earned him the undisputed poster boy of the opposition in Nigeria – until his recent public romance with leaders from different parties; a romance that’s better considered spiteful and hurtful to the PDP, the party he has single-handedly nursed and nurtured for years. As a governor of the oil-rich state, Wike’s huge financial war-chest and formidability remained an unmistakable and invaluable asset no serious politician would want to lose, save for PDP’s recent negligence that’s already setting the motion for the exit of one of its heavyweight; seems the party is prepared to throw the man and his moneybag under the bus. From hosting Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP to Peter Obi of the Labor Party, and just on the 8th of June 2022, three APC Governors from the South West at the palatial government house; Wike seems determined to wear that badge of unpredictability with modest elegance – his next move shrouded in guess with and hearsays.
In states like Edo, Kogi, Ondo, Bayelsa, and others where off-season elections have become the norm, Wike’s political strategies and tactics have appeared far more significant and sometimes unstoppable for the ruling APC. His political dexterity and maneuverability were made manifest in the 2020 gubernatorial poll in Edo where he artfully masterminded the eventual trouncing and pummeling of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the APC by Godwin Obaseki of the PDP despite the overt and covert support plus the heavy presence of the inglorious and injurious pulse-pounding federal might.
Unfortunately, all that personal, financial, and intellectual commitments to the course of the PDP dramatically and tragically screeched to a disappointing halt after his heart-wrenching defeat and excruciating denial of the PDP Vice Presidential ticket. At a time Wike thought his investment in PDP would yield a bountiful harvest at the National level, but he was snubbed and sidelined. Not surprisingly, he and his short-changed brothers have quietly declared an internecine war against PDP and its Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Governor Ortom’s recent outburst was both telling and instructive. While Wike’s sudden declaration of war against PDP would undoubtedly weaken PDP, it will on the other hand strengthen the chances of the opposition especially one backed by the Governor.
Consequently, Governor Wike’s romance with opposition leaders has pinned his other PDP governors into a very tight corner. His public appearances and utterances have placed Governors in his camp between the rock and the hard place. To them, Wike is more than a brother. He is a leader whose words come with force and hardly ditch when the going gets tough. One of such governors whose political fortune hangs on Wike’s unpredictable move is Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state. From snubbing the PDP campaign organization in Osun state to avoiding former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s visit to Ibadan in the build-up to the party’s presidential aspirant; to telling other Presidential contenders where his support lie, Governor Makinde’s loyalty to the course of Rivers Governor bothered on otherworldly commitment.
Just like the 2015 elections where Buhari’s factor helped most candidates flog their opponents, there is a projection and prediction that the eventual winner of next year’s Presidential poll might also influence subsequent elections outcomes – governorship and state assemblies. As an advocate of power shift to the South, there is so much on Governor Wike’s neck and the decision he made, but one thing is certain, his choice would touch down on the fortune of the PDP here in Oyo state and importantly, on the second term bid of Governor Seyi Makinde.
OYO101 is Muftau Gbadegesin’s Opinion about Issues affecting Oyo state, published on Saturdays. He can be reached via muftaugbadegesin@gmail.com and 09065176850
