As the 2023 general elections campaigns season draw closer and political actors continue to align and realign to enable them to post better performances at the polls, one who has become the cynosure of all eyes, or the Nigeria political beautiful bride, if you like, is the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.
The Governor fondly called “Mr. Projects”, has been playing host to all the political juggernauts, the shakers and movers of Nigerian politics for the last three months, from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP gubernatorial candidates from the northern part of the country, to the presidential candidates of almost all the major political parties, like the All Progressives Congress, APC, the Labour Party, former and current Governors, PDP leaders, APC’s former and current Governors, have all paid Wike private visits or visited the state to commission or flag off one project or the other.
Though it is difficult to predict the next political move of the South-South political tactician, one could easily postulate with almost a hundred percent certainty that Nyesom Wike, who has in the last seven years become the rallying point of the main opposition party, will not dump the PDP for any other party.
For some senior members of the party who have watched as things unfold in the PDP, Governor Wike`s “resistant movement” is justifiable and they are of the view that he deserved better treatment than what some of the eggheads of the party, including the presidential candidate, Mr. Atiku Abubakar are currently meting out on him.
If commitment and dedication to the party were things to go by, we could confidently say that he ought to have been the presidential candidate or at least the running mate, but taking a retrospective look at the events leading to the convention, the election of flag-bearer and subsequently the running mate, one cannot still understand why Wike was schemed out of the VP ticket, this is without prejudice to Gov Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, he is one of us from the south, but a little bed told me that Atiku, or the Northern establishment as it were, did not want a no-nonsense man like Wike around and that for me, would be a very difficult call to make.
According to a PDP Chieftain from the Southwest, “what is happening to Wike today is the same reason why Pa Awolowo never clinch Presidency of Nigeria despite several attempts if you recall, and like Pa Awo, Wike is an extrovert who does not know how to call a black pot a white pot just to enable him posses it, ironically these are the type of characters we need in Nigeria today for a genuine reconciliation, to build a peaceful and united Nigeria, as you know, the country has never been this divided since our existence”.
Wike in all ramifications in Nigerian politics and in the PDP particularly, has paid his dues, his major problem as far as politics is concerned in Nigeria is his truthfulness and his unperturbed resolution to always stand for what is right, as well as speaking out when things are going wrongly.
Unfortunately, to progress in Politics in Nigeria, you must know how to lie, cheat, blackmail, steal, kill, backstab and blackmail. But Don’t get me wrong, because Wike is not a saint himself, just like a normal human being he also has his shortcomings, but Wike deserves better treatment from PDP, and demanding a better deal is not out of place, especially for a politician who knows his onions like Wike.
He single-handedly bankrolled the Party’s finances since 2016. Suppose APC can “compensate” Tinubu for his contribution to the Party after his “emi lo kan” cries. Why would Atiku Abubakar, having secured the PDP ticket as Presidential Candidate denied Gov. Wike the opportunity of being his vice, especially when there is no meaningful or visible contribution that could be possibly tied to Atiku as his sacrifice to the PDP? The truth is that they are afraid of Wike. Where were Atiku and Tambuwal when Wike was financing the Party? Where were they during Edo gubernatorial elections in 2016 and 2020 where Wike gave both huge financial and moral support? There`s virtually no state in Nigeria where Wike has no financial commitment to the PDP structures from the north to the south.
We will stand with Wike till the end. The North knows how to play on our intelligence and psych as southerners, they do what is called political blackmail and hypocrisy at the same time. They come to the south and create a divide and rule doctrine to set southerners against themselves and clinch on to power, it is a Machiavellian theory of “The Prince”. It is wicked, treacherous, divisive, and a megalomaniac approach which is of course against all the doctrines of fairness, equity, and justice.
In their calculation, having chosen Okowa, we will stand by and watch Wike dumped after being used and shoved aside. We will not abandon Wike, Never ever! We must stand by Wike! He deserves to be accorded his rightful place in PDP, No matter what, he doesn’t just deserve it, he earned it.
After all, we all recall how leading to the 2015 elections, between 2013 and 2014, Atiku worked hard to divide the PDP against Johnathan and left the party to join APC, called it a Southern Party, and bragged that they will bury the PDP in 2015. We are still in possession of the video clips of everything he said and a library of newspaper cutout are in abundance and they shall be released at the appropriate time.
It took the personal efforts of Wike and some others like Fayose who stood up, held the party together, defended it against Federal might, and became its spokesperson, supporting the party from the north to the south.
While, Atiku Abubakar only ran back to the PDP after he was told in 2017 that Buhari was going to be the sole candidate for the APC IN 2019, and the party stupidly gave him its 2019 presidential ticket. He failed ( like the serial election loser that he is}, abandoned the party, and spent the entire Buhari’s second tenure in his adopted countryUnited Arab Emirates, Dubai.
Within this period, several political battles have been fought, and several elections conducted.
While Gov. Nyesom wike spearheaded and coordinated the PDP defense. Atiku was nowhere to be found.
These are the facts Wike must bring before any team that is going for any reconciliation, these are some of the issues Wike must table before Atiku. These are the battle cries of Wike that must be addressed before he says YES or NO to anyone.
Dcn. Darlington Okpebholo Ray,
Journalist, Media Consultant, and a People Democratic Party,
PDP Chieftain, Contributed this piece from Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
darlingoray@gmail.com +44-745-9830-433
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