Wike swims against the tide, draws battle line with PDP, governors over Fubara

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Can the Minister of the FCT and immediate past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, continue to swim against the tide weighing all hurdles before him?

With the resolution of the governors elected on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party to prevail on the party’s national leadership to hand over the party’s structure in Rivers State to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Wike has intensified the battle to take control of the PDP structure as he warned the governors to steer clear of the politics of the state or risk crises in their states.

Many political analysts perceived the threat by Wike as the highest act of indiscipline and show of disrespect to any political party.

Since Wike lost the PDP presidential and vice-presidential tickets in the 2023 general election to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, respectively, he has remained inconsolable, and has been working against his party.

Wike’s latest outburst followed the resolution of the PDP governors to support his political rival and Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara in the political battle between him and the governor.

The governors had in a communiqué issued after a recent meeting held in Jalingo, Taraba State capital, restated their support for Fubara, promising to “engage the National Working Committee of our great party to revisit the congress to correct the anomaly and allow His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.”

The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, signed the communiqué.

“Wike’s unguarded utterances showed that the peace efforts initiated by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and other leaders of the party, had failed”

But addressing the delegates of his faction of the PDP, who gathered recently to elect new executives at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt, the state capital, an angry Wike boasted that nobody can take away the structure he constituted, insisting that he remained the leader of the party in the state.

He said, “And let me tell people – I heard some governors who said they will take away my structure and give it to somebody. I pity those governors because I will put fire in their states. When God has given you peace, you say you don’t want peace, then whatever you see, you take.”

Speaking further in a most disrespectful manner, Wike said, “I don’t understand; simply because l hear they got some money from a signature bonus, and so, their heads are getting big, that you put a hand in my own state. “Prepare, prepare, because I have the capacity to also do the same thing in your own state,” he threatened.

Obviously referring to the governor of Bauchi State, Wike said, “Whether you are from Bauchi, I don’t give a damn. Whichever state you come from, as far as I know, if you are trying to put yourself in Rivers State, your hand will get burnt. And you will never sleep in your own state.

“You will not be governor again. You will see a political crisis as far as PDP is concerned.

“So, I have told them now that you have started; when I will start, don’t say I’m the one that destroyed PDP. You are the one that is trying to destroy the PDP.”

Wike’s faction held a congress despite an order of the Rivers High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, which had barred the PDP from conducting its congress in the state in a suit number: PHC/2282/CS/2024, filed by David Chinedu Omereji, Solomon Eke, Isodoye Tobin, and others.

Wike’s unguarded utterances showed that the peace efforts initiated by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and other leaders of the party, had failed.

While reacting in a strongly-worded and united response to Wike’s latest utterances, the PDP governors upbraided the FCT minister in a fresh communiqué issued after a meeting in Jalingo.

In the communiqué also signed by the Governor of Bauchi State, the governors described Wike’s threat as unbridled, reckless, and unacceptable.

The communiqué read by Director General of PDP Governors’ Forum, Emmanuel Agbo, also called on the various security agencies to take note of Wike’s threat.

“The statements and threats to peaceful coexistence made by Wike to ‘put fire’ in the PDP- controlled states are unbridled, irresponsible and without ambiguity totally unacceptable, as it undermines efforts to build and maintain peace, cohesion, collaboration and mutual respect amongst leaders and members of the party,” the communiqué said.

Restating its unwavering support for Fubara, the governors noted that, “The forum has always maintained ‘a touch-one touch-all’ philosophy and individually and collectively stand by and support each other, no matter the circumstances. A tradition Wike tremendously enjoyed in his days of travails as governor.

“Thus, we therefore maintain that our position on the affairs of the PDP in Rivers State, as unanimously resolved at our 2024, third and fourth meetings held in Enugu and Taraba States, respectively, are not subject to review by any individual no matter how highly placed,” the communiqué added.

The governors vowed to work with the NWC of the PDP and ensure that Fubara is conferred with all the privileges he is entitled to as a PDP governor.

The forum called on the heads of the national security apparatuses to take note of threats by Wike to stoke violence at the sub-national levels, insisting that no one is above the laws of the land.

Wike’s threat act of treason, capable of inciting violence in Nigeria – Clark, NUF

In his reaction, a foremost Ijaw Leader, Chief Edwin Clark has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to urgently arrest and prosecute the FCT minister.

Clark, in a letter to the IG, read on Thursday during a press briefing at his Asokoro residence, said that Wike’s words showed a flagrant disrespect to the person of President Bola Tinubu, and represented an act of treason, capable of inciting violence in the country.

On its part, a group, the North East Unity Forum also condemned what it called the brazen political banditry displayed by Wike, and called for his sack as FCT minister.

The group said Wike’s recent threat to unleash crises in the states demonstrated his dangerous disposition and orientation, which had no place in a civilised and democratic society.

NUF argued that Wike had lost touch with reality and had become a political outcast in the politics of Rivers State.

Speaking in Abuja, the Convener of NUF, Abubakar Kabir, said, “He, Wike, has become a political liability, embroiled in a crisis of relevance and identity, exposing him as a political scabbard devoid of a bayonet in his home state of Rivers.”

It was also gathered that the PDP governors may move against the National Chairman, Umar Damagun, over his role in Rivers PDP where Wike has retained 100 per cent control of the party’s structure via the latest congress to the exclusion of aggrieved Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

There has been no love lost between Wike and Fubara, his “hand-picked” successor over the control of the party’s structure in Rivers.

When the going was good, Wike instructed his successor to remain in the state and not use “Rivers money to play Abuja politics.”

In obedience to this “directive,” Fubara kept his distance from the PDP Governor’s Forum within his first few months as governor.

He neither attended their meetings nor sent a representative. However, this changed when the silent political feud between them blew open.

In an apparent show of strength, Wike allegedly exerted pressure on the Damagun-PDP National Working Committee to ensure that the Committee set up to conduct the Rivers State Congress was populated by party members loyal to him.

Fubara cried out and rejected the composition, insisting that he be accorded the rights and privileges given to his colleagues in other states. Unlike his colleagues, Fubara and his loyalists were left out of the committee.

The party’s national leadership met ahead of its National Executive Council meeting in June, this year, and resolved to find a political solution to the crisis between the minister and his godson over the composition of the committee and other issues.

Subsequently, the NWC, the Caucus and BoT met, tried but their efforts failed to yield the desired results.

Wike and his loyalties conducted the state Congress which was largely boycotted by Fubara and his supporters, in Port-Harcourt, penultimate Saturday.

During the event, Wike announced to all those who cared to listen, “Not when we are alive will we allow anybody to take away the party structure from us.”

For effect, Wike threatened to destabilise PDP states should governors attempt to take the structure away from him and hand it over to Fubara.

Faced with the option of leaving the PDP or remaining in the party, Fubara has vowed to stay put.

On the surface, the recent congress should foreclose further debate as to who controls the soul of the PDP in Rivers State.

With the development, Fubara’s political fate in PDP appears to be on a cliffhanger, and Wike looks good to have won the year-long battle of his self-acclaimed political structure in the state.

A few days before the Congress, a delegation of the PDP’s Board of Trustees, BoT, led by the Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara; former Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi; Elder statesman, Olabode George: and Senator Abdul Ningi visited Governor Fubara in Government House with the assurance that the BoT would resolve the lingering crisis in the party, constitutionally.

Many people described the BoT’s visit as “a panic mission.” This is so because the political space was abuzz with a story of Fubara’s rumored defection from the PDP to the Actions Peoples’ Party. The panic also led to the bombing of the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt by a yet to be identified arsonist.

The BoT Chairman, Wabara, confirmed that fear when he said the party was scared of losing Rivers State to strong opposition members as this poses a serious problem to the future of the nation.

“We were scared Sir, when we heard or read speculations, perceptions or what have you, that the party, if we are not careful, might lose Rivers State. Of course, if we lose Rivers State, Nigeria has lost its future,” he said.

The former Senate President went on to reminisce on what happened in 2015, and 2023 and vowed never to allow that to repeat itself.

“These men and women you see here are very neutral. As the conscience of the party, we must go by the rule of law. And anything you do, going by the rule of law can never be wrong. It may be delayed but it cannot be wrong,” Wabara said.

He noted that the governor had demonstrated enormous care for the PDP, which is why he has been so patient with the inactivity of the party leadership amid the crisis.

“I don’t want to describe it. Otherwise, as a governor, we have former governors here, I doubt if they would have taken as much as you have. So, on behalf of this party, once again, let me thank you for your resilience, your wisdom, and for the fact that you are still in this party,” he added.

“With the development, Fubara’s political fate in PDP appears to be on a cliffhanger, and Wike looks good to have won the year-long battle of his self-acclaimed political structure in the state”

The BoT members left Port Harcourt with a double assurance that Rivers State was still in the kitty of the PDP especially when Governor Fubara renewed his vow of membership of the party.

“So far, what is important this afternoon is that we are still members of the party, and the owners of the party have visited us.

“So, for those people outside who are carrying all sorts of rumour and propaganda, at least, this visit will put that propaganda to rest, and to tell the world that we are and we still remain members of the People’s Democratic Party,” he said.

PDP working against itself

Dealing with the matter constitutionally, according to the BoT chairman, Wabara, connotes that Governor Fubara should be allowed to operate as the leader of the PDP in Rivers State and not Wike. This is what obtains in other states. And that is what many Nigerians want to see.

However, the crisis in Rivers State has inadvertently exposed the PDP as a party working against itself. More than that, with just about one month to the scheduled October 5, 2024 local government election, if the crisis is not resolved urgently, Governor Fubara may likely not have his foot soldiers contesting the election on the platform of the PDP. This is so because signals from the party secretariat in Port Harcourt indicate that the state chairman, Chukwuemeka Aaron, would not give tickets to Fubara’s candidates.

“PDP is not the only party that would contest in the election”, said Dr. Emmah Oka, a legal practitioner and an ally of former President Atiku Abubakar.

“The election is going to be based on how popular you are”, he said, adding that “Governor Fubara respects the rule of law. He is not leaving the PDP. What you saw on Saturday (congress) was a pyrrhic victory which will not last. You cannot put something on anything. The congress is a nullity in the eyes of the law.”

The Rivers State commissioner for Information and Communication, Joe Johnson, said “The body language and actions of the governor do not show that he is leaving the PDP. Leave PDP for who? He assured the BoT members that he would not leave the party. Nothing has changed so far?

Speaking on the congress, Johnson described the exercise as “political rascality” which cannot be sustained. He was optimistic that at the appropriate time, the party leadership would do what was right and the party would move forward devoid of an individual’s ego-tripping.

In a show of solidarity, a group, Ogoni Development Drive, has issued an ultimatum calling on the PDP NWC to urgently resolve the crisis in Rivers State.

“We give the national leadership of the PDP 14 days to resolve all grey areas in the Rivers State PDP to give Governor Fubara a breathing space failure which we will mobilize massively against the party in the state,” the group said in a statement signed by its convener, Solomon Lenu.