2023 Election: Why Latest Move By APC to Woo Wike is Surprising and Dangerous
- President Muhammadu Buhari will be honouring the governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, with the distinguished award in infrastructure delivery later this month
- As much as the award, which is coming at a time many APC leaders are negotiating with Wike in this electioneering, will show what the PDP is losing, it could also pose a threat to the APC
- The danger for APC is that Wike is not only negotiating with the ruling party but also negotiating with the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi
The governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, will receive a “distinguished award in infrastructure delivery” at the Nigeria excellence in public service award by the federal government.
According to The Nation, the award will be presented to the government by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, October 21.
Source: Twitter
Is Buhari presentation national honour to Wike?
The conferment of such an award on the opposition member by the ruling party is surprising because no one would envisage an All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government admitting that an opposition governor is best performing in terms of infrastructure in the midst of electioneering.
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Of course, Wike has performed as a governor but is it the responsibility of the ruling party to propagate his excellence?
The APC may claim the award cut across parties, but the fact that the governor has held a series of meetings with leaders of the APC, including its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, sends a political tone to the public.
How can Wike determines 2023 presidential election winner
Following the turnout of events in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike and his allies have become very important in determining who will win the 2023 presidential election.
Wike is important in the 2023 election because whichever party he moves to will have higher chance of winning the election because of the number of governors and influential stakeholders in his camp.
The PDP has totally sidelined the southern bloc in its leadership structure, which has then angered the Rivers governor and influenced the call for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
Is PDP, Atiku, really unifying?
Ayu’s refusal to step down opened the door for rival parties and aspirants to negotiate with Wike and his camp, this included the APC.
The APC has wooed the governor to his side both in public and private. The romance is no longer even a private affair, even the Rivers state chapter of the party has spoken against it.
The latest nomination of Wike for the “distinguished award in infrastructure delivery” appears to be the latest move of the ruling party to woo the outspoken governor.
The award will undoubtedly increase Wike's political relevance in Nigeria’s political parlance.
What is the danger of Wike's relationship with APC leaders?
However, as much as it shows what the PDP is losing by not considering Wike's call for fairness and equity in the party, it also poses danger to the APC.
This is because Wike has not only negotiated with the APC but has been seen negotiating with the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Thus, if Wike decides to go for Obi, he would have more words in his mouth to demarket the APC, just as he has successfully convinced many Nigerians that PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are not accommodating justice and fairness.
2023: How karma is hunting Atiku, Wike, Ayu, others in PDP
Legit.ng earlier reported that karma is set to hunt the PDP and key stakeholders over their failure to honour the call for southern presidency come 2023.
The largest opposition, which is supposed to have built on the weakness of President Muhammadu Buhari's administration on security and inflation, decided to present a northern candidate against the nationalistic view.
The party had claimed that the south enjoyed more power than the north in its 16 years of rule, but nationalistically, many southerners believed power should not stay in the north after 8 years of Buhari.
Source: Legit.ng
