Wike vs Fubara: Why Rivers Governor May Not Be Lucky Like Obaseki, Ganduje
Nyesom Wike, the former governor of Rivers and current minister of the FCT, has a firm grip on the state's politics and has remained a formidable politician in Nigeria's current political milieu.
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Legit.ng journalist, Bada Yusuf, is an accomplished politics and current affairs editor, boasting over seven years of experience in journalism and writing.
Wike understands what loyalty is all about and would not tolerate 99.9% of it from any of his protégés. It is either 100% or nothing. He appears to be giving the same vibes to politicians he respects, such as President Bola Tinubu.
Source: Twitter
Speaking after the hosting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors in his office in Abuja, Wike maintained that he was not a political ingrate. He said:
“I am not a political ingrate, I am not — but don’t touch the political structure of Rivers State. I will not shut my eyes.”
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Rivers crisis is age-long political struggle of godfatherism
Some political pundits have posited that the reality of politics is that every politician would always pay dues to some who have come before them because no one gets there on their own. It has always been someone pushing you up to get to the top.
However, Rivers state appears to be different as every succeeding governor has tried to be independent of their predecessors. Chizorom Ofoegbu, a political commentator popularly known as Ijele Speaks, attested to this fact in an interview with Legit.ng.
Ofoegbu told Legit.ng:
"The Wike/Fubara issue is an age old political power tussle between ex governors and their successors."
Fubara challenges Wike over impeachment notice
On his part, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Wike's successor, appeared to be enjoying the popular social media support when he came into the public domain to tell the world to ask the state House of Assembly about his offence after he was issued an impeachment notice.
Following the impeachment notice served on the governor, many accusing fingers, including that of an elder statesman and former national coordinator of the South-South Elders Forum, Anabs Sara-Igbe, have been pointed at Wike.
Speaking on the political development in Rivers state, Sara-Igbe accused Wike of intimidating Governor Fubara and warned the minister to concentrate on his affairs in Abuja.
Why Wike might defeat Fubara in Rivers
However, it appears Wike would win the fight against Fubara, unlike other governors who succeeded in fighting their godfathers and maintaining their stands.
This is due to the fact that Wike laid emphasis on the political structure he left in Rivers state and strongly warned anybody against tampering with it. In a veiled message, he warned the governor that impeachment has room in the Nigerian constitution.
He said:
"Impeachment is not a military coup; impeachment is provided under the constitution."
Thus, if Wike succeeds in defending the structure he has put in place and gains support against the governor, Fubara's story might not be the same with the likes of Governor Godwin Obaseki versus Adams Oshiomhole and Abdullahi Ganduje and Rabiu Kwankwaso in Edo and Kano states.
Rivers elders support Wike
Also, Rivers state elders appeared to have pitched their tent behind Wike when they declared their support for the minister and urged Fubara to retrace his step and give room for reconciliation.
They said that Wike was the undisputed leader who knew how Fubara emerged as the governor, the assembly members, the chairmen of the 23 local governments and their councillors.
The elders said:
"H. E. Nyesom Wike is the undisputed leader of the political family that produced Governor Sim Fubara, the three Senators, eleven Members of the House of Representatives, all thirty-two members of the State Assembly, all twenty-three local government chairmen and the entire councillors of the 23 LGAs in Rivers State”.
Wike and Fubara are not PDP Members, says Atiku
Legit.ng earlier reported that Atiku Abubakar, the PDP flagbearer in the 2023 presidential election, has said that Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, are not PDP members.
Abdulrasheed Shehu, the spokesperson of Atiku, made the claim while defending that his employer would not intervene in the political crisis in Rivers State.
The Atiku's spokesperson added that Wike and Fubara were protégé of President Bola Tinubu and that there was nothing wrong if they sought relief at the presidential villa.
Source: Legit.ng
