Understanding Wike Through His Political Battles Dotted By Betrayals

Malik Sule

Chief Nyesom Wike, the nation’s current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has one thing you can’t really take away from him and this is the fact that he remains a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s political landscape.

For the Ikwerre born politician, the numerous political engagements has earned him a measure of followership and adversaries depending on where one stands in the political divide when appraising his politics, this is because he has continued to gather friends and foes in equal measures.

Some see him as a forceful political tactician who loves to bulldoze his way to achieve any set political objective, while to others, the lawyer turned politician is just a mere irritant who must always have his way not minding the cost to his numerous political foes and adversaries.

What many don’t know however is that Chief Wike is just like a mirror that reflects back what is being projected to it by the object in front of it and that means if you reflect a positive vibe, he reflects positive vibe to you in response. The same thing goes if the situation goes the other way.

For those who know him intimately, this appraisal does not reflective his true nature. Perhaps, to better appreciate the man Wike, one needs to dig deep into some of his past political battles by unearthing the underlying issues that prompted some of the decisions and actions that he had taken in the journey of his political ascendancy.

Commencement Of Political Journey With Amaechi

It is a common knowledge that Chief Nyesom Wike and his friend and predecessor in office, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi were good friends who perhaps started their political journey together sometimes in 1998.

While Amaechi emerged the speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Wike emerged the chairman of the Obio-Akpo Local Government where he had the singular honour of making his mark at the grassroots as the helmsman of the council. He was in office from 1999 to 2007, having been elected twice by the people of his local government.

Fate brought the two of them together closely as they teamed up together in the same political caucus to promote and give vent to the governorship aspiration of Amaechi. For his support, Amaechi, rewarded Wike with the post of the Chief of State to the governor, serving till 2011 when he became the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education serving under Hajia Raqqayyat Rufa’i who was the senior minister.

The leap must have prompted by the sense of loyalty and dedication to the cause of Amaechi who saw him worthy of being sponsored to higher offices. It must be stated that if he (Wike) wasn’t competent enough, Amaechi wouldn’t have undertaken to sponsor him for higher offices at that material time to become a member of the Federal cabinet.

His decision to contest the governorship ran against the interest of Amaechi who did all within his means to stop him but in the end, the will of God prevailed and Wike became the governor of Rivers State.

Fidelity To PDP, Betrayal By Atiku, Tambuwal

It is to the credit of Chief Nyesom Wike that he remains a stabilizing factor in the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) considering the role he has continued to play within the party.

Apart from that Wike has always been a member of the party and has never left the party for one day considering the fact that it is through the PDP that he became whatever he has attained from being a local government to becoming a chief of staff to the governor to becoming a minister and later a governor and now a minister again, though in an All Progressives Congress (APC) led government.

It must be recalled that but for the intervention of Wike in the wake of the defeat of the PDP in the hands of the APC, the PDP would have been dead as we speak.

It is on record that he put at the disposal of the party, his huge financial war chest as well as his vast legal experience to help the party secure landmark judicial outcomes which otherwise could have thrown it under the bus.

Simply put, he stood to be counted when other prominent members stood aloof when the PDP was in dire straits.
What did he get in return? Wike was utterly betrayed by leaders of the party who did little or nothing when the party was down leaving him in the cold.

Two individuals stand out in this gale and they are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Senator Aminu Bello Tambuwal. It is unfortunate that while these personalities where nowhere to be found in the period when the party was dying, yet they are reaping bountifully where they did not sow.

To understand the betrayal of these individuals and why Wike is taking the stance he is taking against them which many people describe as inimical to the progress of the PDP, one will have to do a recap of what transpired between them.
Wike sought the Presidential ticket of the PDP in the build up to the 2023 general election and thought he had a valuable ally in the person of Tambuwal who went ahead to betray him by casting his lot with Atiku who subsequently emerged as the candidate.
After that, Wike thought perhaps, he deserves to be the running mate to the former number two man who eventually picked former Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa to run with him leaving Wike in the cold.
Still not in any way angered by that move, Wike paid Atiku a courtesy visit with a promise to support his candidature at the poll but he was poorly and shabbily treated by the Atiku camp who underestimated his electoral value.

Sensing that some cabals within the party from the Northern parts have made up their minds to hijack the party, the Rivers State born tactician changed tactics and quickly mobilized the Southern bloc to demand that the national chairmanship of the PDP should come to the South now that the North has picked the presidential ticket. Still, the Atiku camp became recalcitrant and unyielding.

The rest is history as Wike eventually directed his members to vote the APC in protest thus prompting his appointment as Minister under the Bola Tinubu led Federal Government.

Fubara And Naked Betrayal

If anyone is to be seen and described as a traitor, the person will most likely and certainly be Governor Sim Fubara whom Wike brought from obscurity to the Government House in a very acrimonious process that earned so much enmity for Wike.

What is even more painful is the fights and the wars that the minister had to wage as well as the financial war chest that was deployed in enthroned him to succeed him in the last election. If Gov. Fubara was to contest the election himself, I am not sure Fubara would have picked the governorship ticket considering the array of opposition against him.

It is in the light of the above that people should ensure that they conduct a thorough appraisal of the character of the FCT minister, to be able to have an informed opinion with regards to why he took some of the political decisions and actions.