By Jude Opara, Abuja

Since he left office as governor of Rivers state, Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has remained at the centre of political discussion of the oil rich state. Despite the fact that he has a new job in Abuja as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wike has continued to pull all the strings in his state.

The whole drama began last month when some 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to him moved to impeach Governor Sim Fubara.

For emphasis, Fubara, the former Accountant General of the state, Wike’s handpick as his successor. It is on record that the former governor vigorously campaigned for his preferred candidate and many analysts thought that the state was going to enjoy some harmony since the outgoing governor succeeded in bringing the person whom he wanted to take over from him.

The botched impeachment did not go without consequences as the State Assembly complex was burnt and the emergence of a faction with the five members loyal to Governor Fubara rallying to announce the suspension of the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule who spearheaded the impeachment plot.

Interestingly, shortly after the defection, the Rivers State government demolished the House of Assembly complex.

Wike had accused Governor Fubara of destroying his political structure, vowing that he would not allow anybody to destroy the same structure he claimed he used to bring them all to power. The former governor even boasted that he single handedly paid for the nomination forms of all the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The scenario in Rivers on Monday took another twist when the 27 pro Wike lawmakers defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). They claimed that their action was driven by two factors; that the governor was starving the Assembly of funds and that there was a crisis in the PDP.

Interestingly, while Wike has on paper remained a member of the PDP, it is clear that his body and soul are clearly working for the APC. During the election, he openly worked for the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. He was rewarded with the ministerial position.

Furthermore, the national Secretariat of the APC has handed over the structure of the party in Rivers to loyalists of Wike led by Chief Tony Okocha. With the defection of the 27 lawmakers who are equally listening to Wike, one does not need a soothsayer to deduce that the FCT Minister is gradually watering the grounds for his much anticipated declaration for the ruling party.

However, it must be stated that Wike’s acrobatics, if not properly handled, may lead to his crash. As we speak, it is clear that what he is doing is to remain in the PDP and ensure that it is substantially destroyed before his obvious defection. The destabilizing role he is playing in the PDP for now may be celebrated by the APC; but the fact remains that they also will not totally trust him. There is a saying that; ‘if you sell your brother, the buyer will never trust you’.   

It is obvious that the PDP made WIke. So if he could willingly destroy the very party that gave him the opportunity to become a Local Government Chairman, Chief of Staff, Minister and Governor, there is nothing that suggests that if tomorrow his ambition or interest in APC is not realized, he will think twice before destroying the party too.

In the APC, most of the stakeholders are said not to be at home with Wike. Some of them are still angry that he was rewarded with a ministerial position, because they don’t believe he should be trusted. Last week, some of his detractors organized a peaceful protest calling on President Tinubu to relieve him of his duties.

A man is not supposed to be involved in so many battles at the same time; Wike is fighting Governor Fubara, fighting the PDP as well as some elements in the APC who have vowed to ensure that he gets the exit door from Tinubu’s administration.

It could be recalled that immediately after the attempted impeachment, President Tinubu summoned both Wike and Fubara and advised them to ensure that the state remains in peace. A very reliable source that should know revealed that after the meeting with Fubara, the President held a private session with Wike where he advised him to try and manage the situation very well. 

According to our source, Tinubu who has remained the godfather of Lagos politics since leaving office in 2007 told Wike that he cannot succeed in having his way as a godfather by being brash and combative. He told him to try to use third parties to fight some of the battles in such a way that it can hardly be traced to him. The President was also said to have told him that his administration will not want to see any part of the country slip into any kind of political crisis.

Wike should also quickly read Robert Green’s 48 Laws of Power. In that book, the first law is that you should never attempt to outshine the master. The FCT Minister while serving as governor was fond of calling media houses to have a live telecast of his interview. He should be told that as a minister, he may not have such latitude as he had as a governor. He should remember that he is a minister today because President Tinubu wants him to remain as one. He should also know that a lot of gossip goes in government circles and if he continues the way he is going, it is only a matter of time before they ease him out. Going to the office of the Chief of Staff to sing ‘on your mandate, we shall stand’ may not save him.

The FCT Minister is having a sense of entitlement that Governor Fubara will continue to do things the way he would want him to simply because he supported him to win the election. He expressed this much when he spoke to the media shortly after the botched impeachment moves.

Wike said; “If you haven’t given, a man power and money, then you don’t know the person. However, I’m not worried because I’m a politician. I know what other states are suffering because of debt, but go and check if I left liabilities; the records are there.

“I left projects for him to commission so he would showcase during his hundred days, then politics came in. We are just starting; God gave you something; you are now importing crisis.

“God gave this on the platter of gold; the Federal Government is not fighting you, no crisis, but you are the one now trying to create a crisis for yourself; only those who are natural ingrates will support what is happening there. I use the instrumentality of law to fight not thugs, time will come.”

Again from his utterances, the former governor said he moved against his successor because he was trying to destroy his political structure. He told a team of South South elders that he will never allow anybody to destroy his structure, describing the rift as ‘political’.

Wike said it is politics if he demands N20 billion monthly and is allowed to award all the contracts to himself, even as he wondered where Fubara was when he was fighting.

According to Wike: “If I demand N20 billion every month and even award all the contracts to myself, that’s politics. Where was he when I was fighting?

“I have to be politically relevant and I must maintain my political structure. I can’t allow anybody to cut me out immediately. If you like to accuse me all you like, I won’t have a sleepless night because the right thing must be done.”

There is nowhere in the Nigerian constitution where it is stated that the governor of a state should be impeached from office for destroying the structure of his predecessor. This equally shows that the whole idea of political office holders to insist on any particular person succeeding them is nothing but self protection. It is hardly in the interest of the state. After all, there is no record of the constitution empowering any outgoing chief executive to handpick his choice candidate to take over from him.  

Well, the High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ruled that Edison Ehie, one of the five lawmakers loyal to Governor Fubara is the authentic Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. It is now left to be seen how the whole drama plays out because already the PDP has asked Ehie to immediately declare the seat of the 27 defected lawmakers vacant. We are equally watching to see the reaction of former governor Wike as well as the APC. Time shall tell!