PREDICTING THE POLITICAL TERRAIN OF RIVERS STATE POLITICS: FUBARA VS WIKE

Insight101WithCCFrancis (#600)

Politics is very dynamic and a game of power to many. The Rivers State politics readily comes to mind in buttressing this subject. Rivers State politics keeps embarking on different levels of power play: power struggle, power control and power dominance.

Dr Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State, did all he could to establish his power dominance. He lobbied earnestly to become the Vice President to President Musa Yar’Adua. Unfortunately, his plan was not only aborted by President Olusegun Obasanjo but he also lost the control of his State to his political progeny, Dr Rotimi Amaechi. That marked the end of Dr Peter Odili Machiavellian rule in Rivers State.

Dr Rotimi Amaechi’s Waterloo started when he pitched his tent against President Bola Tinubu at the time President Buhari declared his power dominance. Rotimi’s relationship with Tinubu further drifted apart when he decided to run against Tinubu for the presidency. Amaechi’s fate was sealed for the worse. He was beaten hands down by Nyesom Wike at home and lost the bid to further his political career at the federal level. Today, Dr Rotimi Amaechi is another byword in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Chief Nyesom Wike was a wild horse on the rising. Another Napoleon Bonaparte in the corridor of power in Nigerian politics. Having perfected his force field, he became the prosecutor, judge and executioner in Rivers State. The Rivers  State House of Assembly members were at his beck and call. The Local Government Chairmen were under his payroll. The judiciary was just a mere nomenclature in his regime. He personally hand-picked the cabinet members and the Governor, as his administrators to run the affairs of Rivers State while he played political harlotry with APC.

Chief Nyesom Wike was a slimy and two-timer politician, who is only after his interest. He worked against his party during the presidential election, and then worked for his party during the state election, to remain relevant on both fronts. His political harlotry secured him an office at the federal level as the Minister of the Federal Capital, while he maintained his stronghold in Rivers State. Unfortunately, he forgot the inconsistent factor in politics – the human factor.

The only permanent factor in politics is INTEREST. As long as the interest suits both parties, friendship is fostered. When interest is at variance, opposition is inevitable. In this case, Siminalayi Fubara was the inconsistent factor in Wike’s chess board. To assert his own political independence, Fubara plotted to break the yoke his godfather had placed on him. Wike, knowing what Fubara was hatching, moved for his impeachment. Unfortunately, the boy of yesterday is gradually becoming a man. Fubara also stepped up his game and demolished the State Assembly Complex. At least, that would delay the impeachment process for the rookie Governor.

The State degenerated into a free-for-all fight. Fubara went all out against the State House of Assembly members who were loyal to Wike. Another smart move was to secure the trust of the Rivers State people, who rallied around him, chanting, “Enough is enough for Wike.” Knowing the peril this might lead to anarchy, President Tinubu brokered peace between the two gladiators and asked them to sheath their swords.

The fight went on but in a coded manner, not until recently, did Fubara use his joker to cash out the money. The Local Government Chairmen have all completed their tenure in office. Fubara has finally announced that the local government administrator should take over the realms of affairs of the state. This is Fubara’s golden opportunity to take back what belongs to him. If Fubara plays his game well, this will be the end of the political career of Chief Wike and his cronies in Rivers State.

So what do we expect? The next local government election will be a sweep for Fubara. He will make sure the next SELECTED, sorry I mean elected LG Chairmen are his cronies. That is just the beginning of the end for Wike. Next, Fubara will ensure that all the State House of Assembly members who are Wike’s loyalists are recalled by their constituencies.

When this happens, this will be the perfect timing for the PDP to disown and excommunicate Wike from the party. If not, the next gubernatorial election may just witness Siminalayi Fubara and all his 23 Local Government Chairmen jumping ship to the Labour Party.

I am CC Francis

…always better than yesterday