By Charles Igbo
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is losing many of his loyalists in the State. This is as a result of the cold relationship between him and the Presidential candidate of the Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President.
At the last count, according to reports emanating from Rivers State, the Governor has lost, at least, 12 of his core loyalists who cannot understand his continuous beef with Atiku, and his alleged dictatorial tendencies. They allege that the Governor is behaving like an Emperor, and wants to cage everybody.
Such loyalists who have abandoned Wike include, allegedly: * Senator George Sekibo * Senator Lee Maeba* A former National Chairman of the Party, Prince Uche Secondus *A former Governor of the State, Sir Celestine Omehia *A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sir Austin Opara *Hon. Farah Dagogo * a former Deputy Governor of the State, Engr. Tele Ikuru *A former Mjnister of Transportation, Dr Abiye Sekibo *Hon. Betty Apiafi * A former Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Kenneth Kobani and, *Sir Nwika Goodnews.
However, Governor Wike is not perturbed. He is not worried. A couple of days ago while addressing Party faithfuls in the State, he mocked those opposed to him, and by extension, mocked the PDP, which he has since given space.
He said when those against him see him in public “e day pain them. But as e dey pain them, e dey sweet us.” To drive his point in, he said he would “bury them.” Then, he burst into a dance, as if already dancing on their graves.
Wike’s problem with Atiku and the PDP began when Atiku beat him to a second place during the Party’s Presidential Primaries. Wike had expected to win. He felt Atiku had no business contesting, especially, as the PDP, had elected a Northerner, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, as its National Chairman.
Usually, when the National Chairman is from the North, it is taken for granted that the Presidential candidate would come from the South. But to Wike’s shock and disappointment, Atiku not only contested, but won. Wike felt betrayed, especially, as his bosom friend, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, a Presidential aspirant, too, like Atiku and Wike, stepped down from the race at the venue, and directed his supporters to vote Atiku.
24 hours after Atiku’s victory, Ayu visited Tambuwal, and hailed him as the star of the convention. Many felt Ayu was indiscreet in his pronouncement.
In 2019, Wike had backed Tambuwal against Atiku during the Presidential Primary held in Porthacourt. Atiku, also, won to Wike’s anger.
In the instant case, the relationship between Atiku and Wike soured more than ever when Atiku overlooked Wike who was the favorite to be his running mate, and picked Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa. Benue State Governor, who was tge Chairman of the 17-,man Screening Committee set up by Atiku and the PDP, said they short listed three candidates- Wike, Okowa and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom. But he disclosed that Wike garnered 14 out of the 17 votes.
Since then, things have never been the same between Atiku, PDP and Wike. The Governor has given both space and, has instead, been publicly hobnobing with, mostly, the All Progressives Congress, APC high profile members.
However, Wike is not likely to dump the PDP for the APC or any other Party, but the way he is talking and behaving, the PDP cannot take his support for Atiku for granted. He says, among other things, that he controls the votes in Rivers State, and that Rivers State would only vote for the Presidential candidate from whom the State would gain something.
He has extended his abhorrence for Atiku to any PDP member in the State who, as much as visits Atiku or has a good relationship with him.
According to Senator Lee Maeba, a Rivers State PDP chieftain, that’s how come he blacklisted him, Austin Opara and Omehia. He not only did that, he stripped them of all appointments and responsibilities in the party and the State.
Making this public in an interview with The Punch a couple of days ago, Maeba said their sin was going to visit Atiku, a man they had known long before Wike knew him, without first taking permission from the Governor.
The former Senator who is from Ogoni, alleged that Wike called Ogoni people and told them that he, Maeba, or anybody, must never be allowed to campaign for Atiku. Wike allegedly said he would not allow them do that. But Maeba said Wike’s behavior and utterances have not only become embarrassing, but are a joke taken too far. He removed Maeba as the Chairman Elechi Amadi Polytechnic over the visit to Atiku. And, as for Opara and Omehia, he removed them as the leaders of the Party in Porthacourt and Ikwerre.
But Maeba has called Wike’s bluff, and said nothing would stop them from supporting the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku.
Maeba: “We have a candidate of the party who has the capacity to lead Nigeria out of crisis. So nothing can deter us from supporting Atiku to save Nigeria.”
He confirmed that Wike is, openly, working against Atiku in the State.
Maeba: “Wike is not hiding that he is fighting Atiku. Yes, he said so. He called a meeting of Ogoni people who are with him and told them to tell me that he will see how I will campaign for Atiku in this state and he is ready to fight to the finish.
“We don’t know what he (Wike) is planning to do because when campaigns start we are qualified to campaign too. We are waiting to see how he will do it. This is a joke taken too far.”
“Yes, he (Wike) called them and humiliated them before their people because we went to pay a solidarity visit to Atiku which we are supposed to do.
“All of us knew Atiku before him. Austin Opara has been in the House of Representatives since 1999. He was the Deputy speaker when Atiku was Vice-President. That time Wike was struggling to be Local Government Chairman. So, if Austin Opara has to take permission from him today to go and see Atiku, then something is wrong.”
Senator Maeba, also, mocked Wike for saying he controls the votes of Rivers people.
Maeba: “There is nobody that is in charge of any vote. Vote is individual business now. For somebody to be boasting that he is in charge of votes, means he has a rigging plan.
“Why are you in charge of votes? You cannot be in charge of votes, because everybody has individual votes to cast. If Adegboyega Oyetola was in charge of votes in Osun, he wouldn’t have lost election.
“So, for somebody to be boasting he is in charge of votes, people should ask him where do you want to get the votes? How many voters card does he have?
He accused Wike of arrogating so much powers to himself.
Maeba: “Let me tell you something. When you apportion so much right to yourself, then you are superhuman. Austin Opara was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives when Atiku Abubakar was the Vice President. They attended caucus meetings together and National Economic Council Meeting.
“So, does it mean that Austin Opara who has been friends with Atiku for over 20 years ago will now start to beg Wike to go and see Atiku?
“So, he (Wike) is the one who doesn’t have respect for citizens.
“Like me, I met Atiku first in 1992 in Jos for the SDP campaigns. We started working together in 2003 when I became Senator. That time where was he (Wike)? When Austin Opara was working with Atiku, holding meetings, Wike was struggling to come into limelight.
“So, when you use comments like that that you are not the kind of politician that people will hold meetings against in Abuja, he goes to Abuja every day. He flies to Abuja. In fact he virtually sleeps in Abuja. So if you don’t have respect for the rights of senior citizens of the state, you don’t have respect for their right to survive and self-sustenance, then something is wrong with your own system.
“If you continue to call yourself, ‘I am a strong Governor,’ we need strong institutions not strong men. The best way to democracy is strong institutions not strong men.
“A strong man is synonymous with the Idi Amin’s of those days. There are no strong men anymore. What we need are strong institutions to strengthen our institutions.”
Meanwhile, apparently, the opposition has latched on the crisis within the PDP, and has gone on an overdrive to worsen the situation.
A couple of days ago, a story went viral that Wike had ordered his Chief Security Officer to remove all PDP flags at the Government House. It was false.
On Thursday, another viral story surfaced that Wike has sued Atiku and the PDP at an Abuja High Court, challenging the Presidential candidacy of Atiku, and seeking to be declared the candidate. It, also turned out to be false.
