Now, let’s cut to the chase. I want to address the Nyesom Wike matter within the present political climate in Nigeria.
No matter what anyone may say, Nyesom Wike is a dogged political fighter who does not retreat or surrender once his mind is made up on any political journey he chooses to embark upon. Hate him or like him, you do not want him as a political enemy. Once he supports a political cause, he fights to the end to win. That, in fact, is the stuff great politicians are made of. President Tinubu also possesses that same dogged fighting spirit.
I remember when almost every cabinet member in President Tinubu’s administration as Lagos State Governor, along with key members of ACN at the time, opposed his choice of Babatunde Fashola, SAN, as his successor. Tinubu told them to their faces that it was his choice and that whoever did not like it could go and do their worst.
Some of his closest allies, such as Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Femi Pedro, and others, left the party and contested against Tinubu’s preferred candidate, Fashola, on the platform of another party, and they lost. The rest, as they say, is history.
When Rotimi Amaechi was denied the Rivers State gubernatorial ticket after winning the PDP primary election, Wike was one of his most ardent supporters. Both Wike and Amaechi went against their godfather, the incumbent governor at the time, Dr. Peter Odili, who, alongside the then all-powerful PDP President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, gave the ticket to Amaechi’s cousin, Celestine Omehia.
At a point, Amaechi fled to Ghana in exile due to death threats against him and Wike. Wike refused to leave. He continued to appear in court at every hearing as they pursued the case all the way to the Supreme Court.
He shuttled between Nigeria and Ghana to brief Amaechi, without caring whose ox was gored. Eventually, they won at the Supreme Court, and Amaechi’s mandate was restored in a landmark judgment that became a reference point in Nigeria’s judicial jurisprudence.
Again, when Wike decided to pitch his tent with former President Goodluck Jonathan, his commitment was total. Wike does not do anything by half measures. Once he is in, he is fully in. There is no “a little to the right” or “a little to the left” when it comes to supporting a political cause, and this is a great attribute for any politician.
Wike is also not all talk. He backs his rhetoric with action and delivers politically and electorally. He is a consummate politician who understands that all politics is local. Hence, he continually nurtures his grassroots base for relevance because, at the end of the day, there is no strong politician without a solid base.
As a sitting governor and Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organization, Rotimi Amaechi could not deliver Rivers State for the APC in either the presidential or gubernatorial elections of 2015. Amaechi’s godson, who was the APC candidate, was roundly defeated by Wike.
Again, in 2019, Amaechi served as DG of the Buhari campaign for the second time, yet he still could not deliver Rivers State in both the presidential and gubernatorial elections. Wike defeated Amaechi’s handpicked APC candidate once again. That is how formidable Wike’s political machinery is in Rivers State.
We all know what led Wike to support President Tinubu’s presidential bid in 2023 against his party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar. I do not want to bore readers by recounting the story again.
However, it is important to note that the same Rivers State Amaechi failed to deliver for the APC on two occasions, both as a sitting governor and as a two-time DG of a presidential campaign, was delivered by Wike for Tinubu and the APC in 2023. He also delivered the gubernatorial, House of Assembly, Senate, and House of Representatives seats for his party, the PDP.
You may hate the man, but what cannot be taken away from him is his political reliability and consistent ability to deliver political gains. This has been his antecedent for many years, and it is an incontrovertible fact.
Tinubu and the APC needed Rivers State in 2023, and Wike delivered it. No one can honestly say Wike was not a factor in Tinubu/APC’s victory in the 2023 election. Anyone who says otherwise is simply being economical with the truth.
In fact, most of the enemies Wike has today stem from his actions in 2023. First is his decision to work against his party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Second is his opposition to Peter Obi, whom many, especially in the South-East and within the Obidient movement, believed should have been his natural choice.
Having said all this, it must also be stated that Wike’s greatest strength could ultimately become his weakness. He has his excesses, and if care is not taken, they could destroy him politically. With power and influence come the need for tact, diplomacy, and knowing when to compromise, even if only temporarily.
First, he must learn to bridle his tongue. Not every word spoken against you or your politics requires a response. Silence is a virtue in politics. Wike talks too much. What you do not say cannot be used against you. Power without control is chaos.
The Rivers State political conundrum is unfortunate, and if blame is to be shared, it must go around to all feuding parties, including Wike himself, Governor Sim Fubara, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and Rivers elders and leaders.
At this point, Wike must decide which party he truly belongs to. While it is a fact that Wike brought Sim Fubara to power, it is equally true that Fubara has the right to fight for his political survival, especially in the face of intimidation and efforts to stifle his ability to govern.
Wike must understand that one can be a godfather without suffocating one’s protégé. Whatever private agreement exists between them, since neither party is willing to make it public, should not be the concern of the people of Rivers State or Nigerians at large.
The office of a governor must be respected. It is not about the individual, but the institution. The truth is that Wike would never have allowed anyone to breathe down his neck the way he is currently doing to Sim Fubara.
The APC at the national level should exercise restraint and avoid joining issues publicly over the Rivers State matter, regardless of the level of provocation. The parties involved are not unreachable or unwilling to engage. They can be contacted and engaged privately, where grievances, even if heated, can be expressed and addressed without unnecessarily inflaming the polity.
Kayode Adebiyi, author, global PR strategist and public affairs analyst, writes from London