By Charles Igbo
“I am a human being. I may make mistakes. But what is important is for you to realise that you have made a mistake and apologize to the people. I am sorry. Forgive me”
A sudden humble Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has apologized profusely to Felix Obuah and the people of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State for not backing Obuah in his aspiration to become the Governor of Rivers State.
Obuah, a former State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State, who backed Wike to the hilt to “vanquish” former Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, even when Amaechi was Governor, had sought to succeed Wike in office in the 2023 Governorship election. But Wike made sure that Obuah, and every other aspirant, either failed at the Governorship Primary, or forced to step down for his preferred candidate, Siminalayi Fubara, now the Governor.
However, not quite five months into Fubara’s tenure as Governor, he and Wike fell apart so badly that Wike engineered an aborted impeachment against the Governor. And even though President Bola Tinubu tinkered a-much criticized peace between the two, nothing has been the same in the State. Since then, about 27 members of the House of Assembly loyal to Wike have dumped the PDP, and defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, a Government under which Wike is serving at the Federal level, even though he still claims he is a PDP member.
With an eye on the Governorship election in 2027, or a possible successful impeachment of Fubara, Wike has been frequenting Rivers State, and amending fences with those he hurt badly just to impose Fubara as the Governor of the State.
Over the weekend, it was the turn of Obuah. Accompanied by a number of people, including the Minister of State, Petroleum, Heineken Lokpobiri, the FCT Minister visited Obuah at his Omoku country home in the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA, where he was received by a sizeable number of people.
His mission: To apologize to Obuah and his people for ditching them for Fubara in the race to the Governorship seat in 2023.
His words: “In 2023, if you look at those who ordinarily I should support for Governorship, “Go Round” (Obuah), you should have been one of them at the forefront – that is if we do things based on your contributions, based on your support. ‘Go Round’ is the first of the two persons that ought to get my support.
“So, I use this opportunity to apologize to all of you in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni for taking a decision that hurt you. I’m sorry. It is because you know your judgement may not be right all the time.
“But I’m a human being. I may make mistakes. But what is important is for you to realise that you have made a mistake and apologize to the people.
“So, I beg you to beg ‘Go Round’ for me to forgive me. I hope one day another opportunity may come. But let nobody lose faith, let nobody lose hope.”
Wike has, effectively, become the Leader of both the PDP and the APC in Rivers State. Based on that, not a few people insist that Governor Fubara will most likely be a one term Governor. Reason: Wike will be in charge of both the Governorship Primaries of both Parties. But, very likely, it is speculated, he will back the APC Candidate for the Governorship seat.
