What was supposed to be the 56th birthday memorial of Nyesom Wike turned into a national political spectacle last Wednesday with weird political recitals in Rivers and Abuja.
A day before the birthday, and in an earth-shaking development, it was announced that 27 of the 31 PDP legislators in the 32-member Rivers State House of Assembly had decided to defect to the APC.
The defectors alleged a division in the PDP following what they claimed as issues over the sustenance of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary.
Following their move, the Fubara-led administration in Rivers, the next day sent bulldozers to demolish the House of Assembly complex. The government claimed that the structure had become weakened by explosives thrown inside the complex at the commencement of the war game between Wike and Fubara.
Many have indeed questioned the rationale behind the demolition, expressing outrage over the quick action of the Fubara government in demolishing a multi-billion naira structure as a pathway towards a political objective.
Given the not-too-popular overlay of affection around Wike, many have been quick to look over the action of the Fubara government in the expectation that anything done to cut the former governor and incumbent FCT minister to size is worth it. Really?
The House of Assembly complex at the time it was built by the Peter Odili administration was arguably the most aesthetically appealing legislative complex in the country.
How such an ornate showpiece of legislative décor could easily be consumed in the rivalry between two politicians is a sad commentary. It is an evident elevation of strong men over institutions in Nigeria.
The power tussle has inevitably brought Wike to his wit’s end. Though Wike entered the fray with overwhelming superior firepower, Fubara with patience and dithering procrastination may have blackmailed his predecessor to powerlessness.
First, many of the political actors in the state, including elder statesmen who had been cowed to silence over the last eight years that Wike was in power have through the conflict come out to take their pound of flesh from Wike. Many who it was thought were dead have resurrected and are speaking out in defence of Fubara.
Many of them have gravitated towards the governor in anticipation of banishing the specter of Wike sustaining his hold over the state towards an unapparelled 12 years in the first instance.
A second factor is the ethnic factor. The Ijaw in Rivers State, and indeed across the Niger Delta have drifted towards their kin, Fubara who became the first Ijaw to be governor of Rivers State since Melford Okilo in the old Rivers State.
Threats have been made subtly and even overtly of the capacity of Ijaw repentant militants to reset themselves and bring Nigeria to its knees if Wike is empowered to remove Fubara as governor.
Subtle threats have been made of the militants going into the sea to sabotage the nation’s oil production processes.
It is a threat that is not being taken lightly.
Indeed, for the second time in less than two years, Wike appears to have been sobered again following the POLITRICKS played on him by Atiku Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal, and some other Northern political actors.
With the court declaration of Fabura’s man, Edison Ehie as speaker, it appears that Wike’s room for manuever has been seriously limited except he is able to overturn that judgment.
If he is unable to overturn the judgment and return his 26 men to the legislature, Wike’s bravado and bluster would be exposed for its emptiness.
In that case, he would have been locked out of the process of effecting a change from within the system that he erected in the state.
The other option for Wike would be to damage Fubara’s case at the Supreme Court where his election is being contested by the APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole. The prospect of such is very unlikely given the bitter hatred between Wike and Cole’s supposed godfather, Rotimi Amaechi.
That would be like jumping from frying pan to fire.
However, political actors and observers have this week been mocking the former governor for contradicting himself over his past allusions and revulsions towards the APC.
Indeed, after his 27 or so protegees in the House of Assembly defected Twitter was enlivened by comments Wike made while he was governor where he compared the APC to cancer and the PDP to malaria.
He had at that time he made the comments sworn that he would never defect to the APC. He had at other times chastised the likes of Dave Umahi and Bello Matawalle who as governors defected from the PDP after conveniently winning elections on the platform of the party.
Wike has been the butt of criticism over swimming in his vomit and violating principles that won him patronage from many, especially in Southern Nigeria.
As he navigates his difficult positions we must remember that the hatred for Wike must not be elevated to the desecration of the institutions of democracy whatever his preference for cancer over malaria.
This preference for cancer over malaria is the debilitating malaise of the Nigerian political class. It is what makes the ruling class to make stupid and selfish choices such as the National Assembly using our scarce foreign exchange to purchase imported vehicles at N160m apiece enriching foreign markets at the expense of our country. It is also the reason why two Abuja-based government agencies will travel to Dubai to sign an MoU.
Indeed, if you look around you will see the evidence of cancer around our political class.
Source: Vanguard
