By Akinwale Gaskin

Governor Wike is essentially a creation of President Goodluck Jonathan. He was a local government chairman at a point but prior to 2011, he was a notable member of the Rotimi Amaechi the former Governor of Rivers state political family. Amaechi was until recently, a Minister under Buhari’s administration.

Amaechi who is Wike’s predecessor, had appointed him as the chief of staff, a position he occupied until the beginning of the political fallout between Governor Amaechi and President Goodluck Jonathan, when Wike ditched the former, and switched his allegiance to the latter.

For “betraying” Rotimi Amaechi, Wike was handsomely rewarded by President Jonathan. He was first appointed Minister of State for Education in 2011, and two years later (2013), he was quickly promoted to a senior Minister of Education by President Jonathan in order to spite Amaechi.

With the backing of former President, Wike went on to secure the PDP Governorship ticket in 2015 and eventually became Rivers State Governor. This was why Amaechi once aptly said that “Wike became governor of Rivers state by the accident of Goodluck Jonathan”. A man who climbed the political ladder by betraying his own boss in 2010 is the same person now accusing some PDP Governors of betraying him in 2022. What an irony!

Upon becoming the governor of Rivers State, and the rich resources of the State at his disposal, the attention-seeking Governor Wike who had always wanted to be a national player in Nigeria’s politics immediately embarked upon reckless spending and financial support for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other key stakeholders within the party.

God answered his prayers when credible and much more experienced PDP leaders like former president Obasanjo, Atiku Abubakar, Bukola Saraki, Rotimi Amaechi and others left the party to join forces with the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 over the inordinate or unresolved ambition of President Jonathan who had wanted to remain in office beyond his agreed single-term tenure.

With the defection of these foundation members and experienced politicians from the PDP, a void was created and Wike grabbed the opportunity by playing “the Father Christmas” in the party. Wike who had now set his eyes on Nigeria’s Presidency began to spend money lavishly on everyone and anything PDP to the point that he almost unilaterally became the sole financier, or financial backbone of the PDP.

As a result of his spending spree, other PDP Governors started to warm up to him and his influence within the party grew tremendously. Governor Nyesom Wike soon developed a sense of entitlement and delusion on the strength that he owns the party on account of the strength that he could get anything he wanted within the PDP through the power of money.

His praise singers convinced him, and he also believed that the PDP was his personal property to the extent that his words within the party became law. He became unduly arrogant, and power-drunk that he could virtually get anyone elected to or removed from any office within the party.

This arrogance was amply demonstrated when he single-handedly installed Uche Secondus as the Party Chairman and subsequently insisted that the PDP National Convention 2019 must be held in Port Harcourt, his home state despite stronger arguments to the contrary.

He had his way at the time but the grand master, Atiku Abubakar still defeated Wike and his group even in Port Harcourt and walked away with the coveted prize of presidential ticket to the shock and humiliation of the brash and politically inexperienced Governor Wike. It was a devastating blow from which Wike is yet to recover, and over which he can never forgive Atiku Abubakar.

The current PDP crisis is therefore vendetta-driven and solely created by a man with bloated ego and exaggerated sense of importance or self-worth. A sore loser who is ready to bring down the whole building because of his failure to achieve a personal goal. His claim of seeking justice and fighting for what is right must particularly be seen as “fraudulent” because ever since his emergence on the national political scene, Wike has never shown any interest in fairness, justice or common good unless he comes out as the ultimate beneficiary of such “fairness’ and “justice”.

The “commendable” role he purportedly played in stabilizing the PDP during its turbulent period, and one that he has endlessly bragged about, was particularly and selfishly undertaken with sole purpose of being handed the Presidential ticket of the Party whenever he decides to run. A man who single-handedly decided who his successor would be in Rivers state, and who prevented other interested PDP Governorship aspirants in his state from contesting cannot in good conscience come to the national stage to teach anyone about fairness, equity or justice.

We all know that both Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, remain Governor Wike’s greatest nightmares within the People’s Democratic Party. Their brief exit from the Party allowed Wike the opportunity to flourish and develop into a monster in the first place.

The return of this duo to the party has therefore dealt a devastating blow to whatever is left of Wike’s ego and sense of importance together with his ability to easily have his ways on everything within PDP. While Atiku Abubakar has already handed Wike two critical defeats in quick successions, and consistently proven to Wike that he, Atiku is the boss and master of the game, the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki,on the other hand continues to intimidate Governor Wike with superior intelligence quotient, personal eloquence and elegance, better knowledge of national politics, and superior political profile in addition to his membership of a strong political dynasty in the north.

Their mere presence and level of civility within the party naturally take attention away from any crude and mannerless Governor who had planned to force himself on the people. Wike must therefore fight back and very dirty too.

Whoever cares to listen to Governor Wike each time he talks lately will readily notice a form of venom, bitterness and anger in the voice of a frustrated man who is unable to overcome the shock and disgrace of his second defeat in the hands of the master, Atiku Abubakar.

The first was his failed support for Aminu Tambuwal against Atiku at Port Harcourt during the 2019 national convention. It is an open secret that Wike neither forgave nor genuinely supported Atiku Abubakar during the 2019 general election. Those in doubt should compare the total PDP votes scored during the presidential election and that of the state governorship election. He will never forgive or support Atiku’s presidential ambition this second time either.

That was why he rushed to congratulate President Buhari (Atiku’s opponent at the 2019 elections) over his electoral “victory” even before the PDP could formulate a formal response to the election results. Wilke had erroneously believed that the 2019 defeat would end Atiku’s presidential ambition, thereby clearing the coast for his own emergence as party’s flagbearer come 2023. That turned out to be a great and costly miscalculation which he is yet to overcome.

Governor Wike’s cry for justice is a mere pretext and grand deception. His real intention is to prevent the man who defeated him during the PDP primaries, Atiku Abubakar from becoming Nigeria’s President. Wike has demonstrated that he is a self-centered sore loser, and a bitter politician with vindictive mentality.

In the first place, it was Governor Wike who imposed or unilaterally ensured that his former friend, Uche Secondus emerged PDP national Chairman. It was also Wike who insisted that the national chairman must be removed from office in order to pave way for his own presidential ambition. Wike had reasoned that it was not possible for the party chairman, Secondus and presidential candidate (supposedly Wike) to come from the same geo-political zone. As a result, he made sure that Uche Secondus was forcefully and prematurely removed from office.

Besides, it is a common knowledge that it was this same Governor Wike who had insisted that the current PDP national chairman, Iorchia Ayu be elected chairman. Atiku Abubakar had a different candidate in mind for the position, but Governor Wike insisted that the chairmanship should not only go to the north (to pave way for Wike from the south to emerge as presidential candidate) ,but that only Iyorchia Ayu must be elected to the office. Ayu was therefore Wike’s candidate right from the beginning. just like his immediate predecessor, Secondus.

The party primaries are over. Atiku already emerged as winner. What does Governor Wike really want, justice or a pound of flesh? Governor Wike knows that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as PDP presidential flag bearer does not have the constitutional power to unilaterally remove the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu from office.

He also knows that under the PDP constitution, even if Ayu resigns today, the next person to take over the vacated office is still a northerner from Ayu’s zone. Must that person also resign in order to appease a man driven purely by vendetta and one who is fixated on getting a revenge from Atiku at all cost? It should be clear to any right-thinking person by now that Wike’s mission is not about any chairmanship position, Ayu’s resignation or commitment to fairnessbut to ensure that Atiku Abubakar does not become Nigeria’s president.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is the real target of Wike. He only lacks the courage to tell Nigerians his real motive. The earlier the PDP and its members recognize this destructive mission of Governor Wike, the better for everyone.

If Wike is truly interested in fairness or southern presidency, he would have supported Peter Obi right from the beginning with needed resources instead of running for the position himself. Of the three geo-political zones in the south (Southwest, Southeast, and South-south), it is only the southeast of Peter Obi that has a legitimate claim to the presidency because both southwest and South-south where Governor Wike comes from, had already produced Nigeria’s Presidents in the person of Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

Like Peter Obi, both Atiku Abubakar and Bukola Saraki are also entitled to the presidential ticket of PDP because both men come from geo-political zones in the north that have not produced a Nigeria’s president since the country’s return to democracy in 1999. A man of integrity who is genuinely committed to equity and fairness or southern presidency with the resources at his disposal like Wike, would have thrown his weight behind Peter Obi and southeast during party primaries. Apparently, Governor Wike suddenly knows about the doctrine of fairness only after having suffered a humiliating and devastating defeat from the hands of Atiku.

With leadership comes responsibility and maturity. Unfortunately, Governor Wike lacks both. His choice of words, attitude, irresponsible claims or outbursts and overall penchant for fighting everyone at the same time are clear indications that the man is petty, vindictive, incapable of handling confidential matters, probably emotionally unstable, but above all, he is grossly unfit to be a leader. Only God knows how many state Governors and journalists he has fought in the past one year.

When he could not successfully intimidate, entice or match Governor Obaseki’s maturity and leadership qualities, Wike resorted to publicly insulting the Edo state Governor. He has also fought Sule Lamido and Aliyu Babangida in similar fasion. He even attempted to pick on Reuben Abati, and other well-trained media professionals at Arise TV, before being told in clear language by Abati, a no-nonsense and distinguished journalist that he, Wike “lacks capacity and intellect” to teach him or anyone journalism.

Recently,same Wike claimed that some Nigerian retired military generals threatened him with CIA because he is fighting for justice within PDP. He then proceeded to accuse someone in the Villa (probably the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo or President Muhammadu Buhari himself) of secretly supporting the PDP flagbearer Atiku Abubakar, instead of Bola Tinubu the APC’s presidential flagbearer.

Before the dust could settle, Wike again made another outlandish claim that Tinubu offered him a Senatorial seat when both men met in England – a discussion probably meant to be confidential, but a claim already denied by Tinubu’s aides as untrue.

In the same vein, Wike further alleged that Iorchia Ayu received N1 billion bribe, that Atiku and PDP already shared all positions even before the elections are held etc. What next should we expect from a man without control over his tongue or emotion when he comes back from his current God-knows-what mission in England?

The attention-seeking, tantrum-throwing governor has suddenly become an entertainer, who continues to entertain Nigerians even as he falls from the position of grace like a beautiful bride once desired by everyone to that of an irredeemably defective and worthless object being avoided by all. This man needs help.

He must be rescued from self-destruction but whatever solution is ultimately proffered to move the PDP forward ahead of coming election, Governor Wike’s political value has plummeted beyond repairs, and he can never ever be trusted as a team player or loyal party member again.

He is already consumed with hatred and the mission to destroy the PDP and its presidential candidate to the point of no return. Waste no further efforts on him and his cohorts of bankrupt agents whose stock in trade is nothing but destabilization. Let him explain to the world, what will happen if Ayu resigns and Atiku loses in the general election.

Will Ayu be forcefully returned to office to complete the unfinished term of his chairmanship? Is this the first time in the history of PDP that both national chairman and presidential will emerge from same region before a presidential election? Many will recall that. Ahmadu Ali. From north central was the PDP national chairman when Late Musa Yar’Ardua, from the northwest was the PDP’s presidential candidate and the heavens did not fall before the party went on to win the general election.

Since Wike finds it impossible to swallow his pride, embrace peace or follow the dignified footsteps of other honorable presidential aspirants in PDP and other politicians who contested, lost the election and promptly rallied around the winner in the overall interest of their parties and Nigeria as a whole, the time has come for the PDP to ignore his ranting and move on.

It is also time for the PDP to search for and embrace genuine leaders of the people in Rivers state which may include but not limited to Governor Wike’s former boss and master, Rotimi Amaechi himself.

Akinwale Gaskin writes from Chicago, USA.