Nyesom Wike vs Siminalayi Fubara The political atmosphere of the Federal Republic of Nigeria became recharged today as 27 of the 32 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly announced their defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
No doubt, the political crisis rocking the state chapter of the PDP has been, unnecessarily, factionalized into the cycles of the incumbent Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor and the incumbent Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (F.C.T), Nyesom Wike. Although the crisis at a point became calm the recent political movements in the state pointed more to the fact that the crisis has not been calmed.
Expectations Ahead of Rivers
The defections of the 27 members of Rivers State House of Assembly from PDP to the APC is not a “mere” political decision, it is a certainty that the state may witness a serious political crisis which may cause the state bit of violate the Constitutional Order and a possible impeachment of the State Governor Fubara, if he fails to realign with his political godfather, Nyesom Wike, whether he remains in the PDP or followed the dimensional development and defects to the APC.
However, we may not rule out possibility of Governor Fubara aligning with a former Governor of the State and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to trigger reflective rejection of the 27 members of the State House of Assembly from their new party, APC; this may not workout as the political experience in the state has, beyond reasonable doubt, proven that the combination of Governor Fubara and Amaechi may not have political goodwill to successfully fight Nyesom Wike.
Buttressing this, recall that Amaechi has been in the opposition party to Nyesom Wike’s party in several elections, and the results are there to show the level of their street credibility, even when Amaechi was the bride of the former President Buhari’s kitchen cabinet members.
Besides, politically the time chosen by Governor Fubara to tackle the political supremacy of his boss, Wike, is strategically wrong and he is more going to be the victim of the crisis than anyone else recalling that Nyesom Wike has total control of the State House of Assembly; major stake in the Fubara’s cabinet, and the backing of the “Federal Might” which he doesn’t only have, he knows how to deploy it in dealing with a sitting Governor just like he did for former Governor Amaechi during the days of the former President Goodluck Jonathan. Interesting days await the political atmosphere of the country through the windows of Rivers politics.
Are we back to the days of Obasanjo?
Sincerely, we are not back to the days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo when Governors were sacked unjustifiably, elections were rigged to the advantage of his favorites, and political officeholders across the state identified him as the only way to their “political heaven” who they must not dare.
Arguably, what is happening in Rivers State is not directly connected to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and this differentiates the situation from what the country went through during the days of former President Obasanjo when all the states headed by the opposition party knew they were in political war except they visit the former president and give a “pledge of allegiance.”
What is happening in Rivers State is a breach of political agreement and a show of shame by an “ungrateful” beneficiary who decides to destroy the territory that produces him, including the Emperor of the territory, mainly because he wants to take over the Throne of the Emperor. This is not new in Nigerian politics and the consequence is one of two possibilities; either the ungrateful beneficiary perishes in the battle for supremacy or the Emperor is dethroned. In the case of Rivers, although we may cite it too early for conclusion, the end will surely justify the means, and whatever the end will become a reference point for a future replay of this political scenario.
Unlike former President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Bola Tinubu has played a fatherly role in the Rivers Crisis, and applied his political wisdom to appease the two warring factions to embrace peace, even though Rivers State is not being governed by his political party, President Tinubu played the same role he rendered in Rivers when an alike political crisis broke out in Ondo State which is under the country of the party that produces Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is APC. This is a fatherly role that Nigeria did not experience under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidency.
The same scenario occurred during the administration of the immediate former president Muhammadu Buhari when Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki turned against his boss, Adams Oshiomole. Interestingly, Buhari’s administration took sides with the Office of the Governor and encouraged Obaseki’s defection to the PDP from the ruling party, APC. Even at this, the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, played vital roles against the party that produced them to ensure Obaseki defeated their party, APC, at the poll when Oshiomole displayed his political technocracy to defeat the Presidency and Obaseki during the APC Governorship Primary in the state.
This is to show that this scenario is not peculiar to a particular presidential tenure but while other administrations have taken sides in such battle, President Tinubu has displayed a fatherly role, calling together both Wike and his political godson, Fubara, to restore sanity in their relationship before the latest development.
Unfortunately, while it is not expected of President Tinubu to beg the new members of his party, who will come along with the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, to go back to PDP, this is not enough to relate his political leadership with that of former President Obasanjo. Recall that politics is a game of numbers, and no political party will be buoyant enough to reject defectors from another political party.
Time for Atiku to Prostrate Before Major Wike
How the politics of Rivers got to this level may amaze the majority of the political gladiators who witnessed the opposition between Wike and Atiku’s camps during the election that produced Governor Siminalayi Fubara. Unfortunately, Wike who took the political missiles on behalf of Fubara from Atiku’s political battlemen is now the target of Fubara’s armoury controllers while Atiku is the Fubara’s new bride.
This new development in Rivers State is not a signal of defeat for Fubara, arguably he is a political learner to his boss, Wike. You can argue this but the person who is losing massively with the latest political development in Rivers State is Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president of Nigeria and the presidential candidate of PDP in the 2019 and 2023 General Elections who is also planning to contest for the presidential seat of Nigeria in 2027.
No doubt, if Governor Fubara wins the Rivers political battle, it will not only benefit his new bride, Atiku but the camp of Atiku will lay claim to their involvement in the crisis as the reason Fubara defeats his boss. If there is anyone who should feel more defeated in Rivers’ political crisis following the latest development, he should be no other person than Atiku whose party, PDP, seems to have lost one of the states that give it the highest number of votes since 1999.
Between Wike and Atiku who eagerly need each other, ahead of the 2027 general election may be the simplest political drilling to shut down anyone who stands to underate Wike or hype Atiku in this political scenario.
Arguably, while Fubara can lay claim to political inexperience, find his way back to Wike and tender an unreserved apology, and sign memo to have his first term completed, Atiku will be reduced to looking forth to Delta State as the only state across the 36 states in Nigeria to give it a bulk vote during the 2027 General Election while Lagos, Rivers, Kaduna, Kebbi and Rivers remain in APC’s fold and Kano State may sooner or later empty itself into the same APC. Is it not time for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to hands up and prostrate, politically, before Major Wike who has, provably, defeated Atiku at all political meetings?
Category: World-News
Tag: 27 lawmakers defect from PDP to APC in Rivers State Atiku Abubakar wike bola tinubu siminalayi fubara
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Published 12/11/2023 6:28:56 PM