Rivers State governor, Eze Nyesom Wike is more committed to promoting unhealthy rivalry, friction and potentially, distrust between Igbo’s of the South East and the South South than seeking votes to be president in 2023.
Already, to achieve this, He is channeling a large chunk of the financial patrimony of Rivers people to a small section of the political establishment of the South East and enabling them to cause needless disquiet in the political space.
He is also doing this in dozens of other Nigerian states.
Expectedly, the section of politicians He is engaging in the South East; is the loud minority comprising mainly of people of yesterday who were and still are notorious misfits. They are the exact persons who at the return of democracy, held the region under a glutinous grip especially during the 1999 – 2007 political windows.
To put finishing touches to the hatchet job being done for Him by these persons who command no followership outside delegates of the PDP which they dubiously install, Governor Wike has personally taken space and time on national media to disparage leading presidential aspirants from the South East, especially Dr. Peter Obi who is unarguably one of the best from the region.
Governor Wike calls Dr. Peter Obi a person of questionable character who is unfit to lead Nigeria out of its social, economic and political quagmire.
Governor Wike ignores the truth that currently, Dr. Peter Obi is the only Nigerian ex governor who isn’t answering questions about fiscal misconduct while in office before the feared EFCC or the courts.
He arrogantly discounts the leadership acumen of Dr. Peter Obi and says His frugality is pretentious.
The latest sin of Dr. Peter Obi is in His dumping of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party.
Doyin Okupe, presidential campaign director of Dr. Peter Obi says the reason for the exit from the PDP is because the candidate will not pay a bribe of at least $40K to each member of the electoral college to support His bid for the presidential nomination.
Dr. Peter Obi himself reiterates that He is not desperate to be president but only wants to offer His capabilities towards building a brand new nation that will stand on the tripod of economic growth, productivity and wealth creation.
Governor Nyesom Wike says He is most capable of rescuing Nigeria from economic collapse but under His watch as governor of crude oil and gas rich Rivers State, the accountant general, Mr. Fubara Siminayi has been declared wanted by the economic and financial crimes commission; EFCC over His role in the disappearance of nearly $1B from the state treasury.
While in hiding from arrest by the EFCC, Governor Nyesom Wike personally midwifed a governorship primary election which announced the fugitive accountant general as winner and therefore, flag bearer.
It is also under the watch of Governor Wike that notorious gangsters and crude oil thieves got handsome rewards for their involvement in economic sabotage, insurrection, cultism and other kinds of criminality.
Some were shortlisted as state and local government contractors and given multi million dollar contracts. Others received government recognition as first tier traditional rulers with a monthly wage paid directly by the state government with Governor Wike at the helm.
They now own and live in palatial mansions. They also own luxury speedboats and armored SUV’s.
Unfortunately for Governor Wike, the South East as a region comprising Pan African professors, erudite international scholars, distinguished leaders of thought, youth, former and serving politicians, global entrepreneurs, scientists, inventors, noble traditional rulers and the clergy who constitute the silent majority have totally ignored Him; maintaining instead a deafening silence which increases His state of confusion.
The refusal of notable personalities of the South East to reply Governor Wike’s invectives on one of the most respected global citizens from the region isn’t out of lack of what to say but the truth that on a scale of one to ten million, He will not be a topic; important enough to be discussed.
The 2023 presidential elections will hold in March 2023 but in another 24 hours, political parties in Nigeria will be voting to select their presidential candidates. Governor Wike is also contesting for the nomination of the PDP.
Before now, the main opposition party resonated hope among especially young Nigerians and the shrinking middle class locally and abroad because of the potential candidacy of Dr. Peter Obi who had travelled round the nation seeking support from state chapters of the party.
His mobilization drive stood out because His engagements focused only on the most pressing issues affecting Nigeria; for example, the absence of education, healthcare, public transportation, portable water, employment, production plants and security.
Amongst the stock of presidential candidates of the PDP, Dr. Peter Obi led a group of aspirants who are synonymous with discussing solutions to Nigeria’s problems. These aspirants include Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and global economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
This time, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has been less vocal about His plans but His supporters say He is still capable of turning round Nigeria.
Governor Wike on the other hand, has failed to start, let alone sustain any meaningful narrative built around solutions to the problems of Nigeria.
His responses to sensitive questions like inflation, unemployment, power generation, and national cohesion often contain no substance, data or fact; appealing to only His supporters in Rivers State; many of whom only see governance from a very narrow perspective.
Many Nigerians believe Dr. Peter Obi stood a very small chance of clinching the PDP nomination; not because of the absence of a pathway to making Nigeria work but because of His age long indisposition to money politics which makes Him disliked by policy drivers and executives of the PDP alongside their aides, staff and protégés on social media who incidentally are mainly youth.
Many Nigerians also believe that Dr. Peter Obi is the president Nigeria needs at this time to turn around the world’s most populous black nation hence the focus on Him; especially after the resounding success of a nationwide one million man rally organized by Nigerians.
Peter Obi was the poster boy of the opposition PDP but the party only planned to accommodate him for image laundering purposes; to enable it have some soft landing before Nigerians in view of the 2023 election.
Like majority of Nigerians, Governor Wike realizes that the exit of Dr. Peter Obi from the PDP has cast a very dark shade on the party and made its chances wining the 2023 elections dimmer than ever.
Presently, the voting narrative has significantly changed over the last 48 hours and all eyes are now on the leading All Progressives Congress to present what may now be an alternative to Dr. Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria’s People Party.
Presidential candidates who will emerge by the 3rd of June 2022 will have at least 8 full months to campaign and Nigerians are looking forward to a grand contest of bold ideas and solutions with Dr. Peter Obi firmly in the middle as a strong candidate running on a brand new platform.
By Ezeani, Elvis Chukwunonso