Rivers state political activities has been on the high gear since the incumbent Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike lost his Presidential Primary election held by Peoples Democratic Party-PDP at Abuja. First, is the fact that Governor Wike never believed that he would lose the election to the experienced politician former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who scored higher number of votes at the special convention. Shocked and beclouded with sense of shame after all that he had said about key stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Wike knew from the night his presidential bid failed that he has no other option than to submit himself to the dictates of the party hierarchy with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at then helms of affairs dictating the flow of events.
It is on record that on his final speech at the special Convention Wike promised to work with whoever will emerge as the Presidential Flag bearer but back stabbing that Presidential candidate that emerged from the Special Convention is a sign of mistrust and toe-scrapping and undesirable muddling which eventually has become a whirlwind that will likely chase Wike out from PDP to his new romance with the national ruling political party-All Progressives Congress-APC. This political scenario will be messier as we approach the electioneering campaign period as Wike had finally dragged Atiku Abubakar and Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal to court claiming that the Court should declare him the Presidential Candidate of PDP in the 2023 Presidential election on 25th of February, 2023.
But at his home front in Rivers state, how is the PDP leadership seeing the personal fight between Governor Wike and PDP Presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar? First is the fact that Wike is the leader of the party in the state as the highest office holder and financier of the party. His claims that he has remained in the party since its formation in 1998 is a welcome development as there are so many others who have not defected to any other political party since 1998 to date. And Governor Wike failed to understand that those loyal party members have their political future tied to the success of the party at the national level especially with the Presidential candidate Alhaji Abubakar’s victory at the polls on 25th of February, 2023.
About 50-elective positions are at stake across the 319 Councillorship wards, 23- Local Government COUNCILS seats, 32 State constituencies for House of Assembly, 13, Federal House of Representatives seat, 3-Senatorial seats and several members of Board of Trustees-BoT. Others belong to various associations across national interests such as association of former Councilors, Association of Former Chairmen of Local Government Councils, Association of former State House of assembly members, Association of former state Governors, Association of former Chairman of PDP across the 36-states plus Federal capital territory Abuja and former Presidents who are members of the Federal Security Council are all structures the Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike neglected and allegedly concentrated on his personal agenda of ‘if I can’t be Presidential candidate I will bring down the Party structure.’ It was on the above-mentioned party structure that former Deputy Speaker Federal House of representatives Chief Austin Opara, former senator Lee Meaba and Barrister Celestine Omehia a usurper of the office of Rivers state Governor from May 29th to 25th of October 2007 went to hold meeting with PDP Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar which irked Governor Wike who condemned the Rivers state politicians who have allegiance to PDP Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and the verbal threat of killing himself and those who attended meeting with Atiku Abubakar without getting express permission and clearance from him.
Due to the above political crises troubling Rivers state PDP and other under current, Governor Nyesom Wike failed to understand that majority of his party elders are not happy with his single highhandedness in selecting the Governorship candidate former Accountant General Siminialaye Fubara who is an unknown political quantity in Rivers state. Because the way and manner he chose PDP Governorship candidate Riverine Ijaws from Kalabari and Wakrikese areas of Rivers state are out to display their displeasure with mobilization of votes against PDP governorship candidate in Rivers state for 2023 election. To realise this objective several party members in All Progressives Congress-APC but from Rivers Ijaw in the Kalabari area have resigned from APC and joined other parties to be used to capture Governorship ticket and eventually win the Rivers state Governorship election in March, 2023 before they will defect back to their original political parties prior to the election in March 2023.
There is mass defection ongoing from PDP to All Progressives Congress as the Director General of Wike Solidarity Movement while APC spokesman Chris Finebone has defected to PDP having come from Opobo/Nkoro Local Government area of Rivers state.
On the rumour making rounds that Governor Wike will join APC, he has denied that for a political party he described as having Cancer which he is romancing with now is unbelievable as politicians have different ways to seek relevance in the political firmament. Will Governor Wike and former Minister of Transportation Chibuike Rotmi Amaechi sit down on the same political party chair APC and discuss the welfare of Rivers state people after all the legal tussle and mudslings?
