- May remain in PDP despite ministerial position
- It ‘ll be difficult for Amaechi to bounce back – Analysts
- We’re probing how Wike made ministerial list – PDP
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, FESTUS OKOROMADU AND MAYOWA BRIGHT
With the announcement of former Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as one of the ministerial nominees expected to serve in the President Bola Tinubu’s administration, political pundits have argued that the political career and fortunes of the immediate past Minister of State Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers State have been further threatened.
For politicians across political divides, Amaechi would have to retrace his steps, go back to the drawing board and rejig his political strategies if he would be relevant in the political schemes of things in the oil producing state.
The appointment of Wike, a leader of the People’s Democratic Party, comes after weeks of speculation that the former PDP and G5 governor would be appointed to serve in the All Progressives Congress, APC-led Tinubu’s government.
Wike and Amaechi were presidential aspirants in the PDP and the APC respectively in last year’s presidential primaries.
They both lost in the primaries.
The two politicians, who hail from the same Ikwerre ethnic nationality, fell out after Amaechi defected to the APC and supported former President Muhammadu Buhari for president in 2015, while Wike, a governorship candidate of the PDP then, supported Jonathan’s reelection bid.
Wike later won the 2015 governorship election against Amaechi’s preferred successor, Dakuku Peterside.
Again, during the recently held governorship election in the state this year, Wike, after battling with Amaechi, his estranged godfather for months, appeared to have won the supremacy war against the former minister following the victory of his (Wike) candidate, Governor Siminialaye Fubara at the March 18 poll.
Reacting to Wike’s ministerial appointment, lawyers, political analysts opined that Amaechi might be heading towards political oblivion.
They maintained that since Wike now controls almost the entire political structures in Rivers State, Amaechi might have been displaced in the politics of the state.
They contended that nothing is left for Amaechi in the APC and Rivers politics, having failed to participate in any of Tinubu’s presidential campaigns and neither succeeded in ensuring the victory of his governorship candidate in the state, Tonye Cole.
Speaking with The Point, a political analyst, Bright Oniovokukor, noted that Wike was able to displace Amaechi easily because the latter has lost popularity among the people of Rivers State owing to his inability to meet their yearnings when he held public offices.
He said the former minister’s political headache would be more painful should President Tinubu assign Wike to the Ministry of Nigeria Delta or Petroleum because the immediate past governor would be more visible in Rivers to further tackle his estranged principal.
Asked what Wike’s new nomination portends for Amaechi’s political fate in Rivers, Oniovokukor said, “They say politics is a game of interest, not a case of ideology or philosophy; that’s what Nigerian politics has been known for. It’s wherever their interest is, that is where it goes. It now behooves on the people to hold their leaders accountable because at a time, Rivers was divided between, not necessarily APC and PDP, but Wike versus Amaechi. Somewhere along the line, Amaechi could not pull his way through and Wike took it all.
“Wike being a Minister doesn’t mean he is going to continue to dominate Rivers politics or his absence will now push Amaechi to relevance; Nigeria politics is about followers; if he (Wike) comes and gives reasons to his followers, they will remain with him and it’s only when he can’t give his followers some convincing reasons as to why he hobnobbed with the APC to the point of getting nominated as minister, that is when they may move away.
“Whether Wike would still be powerful in Rivers is actually the factor of the portfolio that he would be given. If he is given Minister of Information, he may just be talking, if he goes back to the Ministry of Education where he was before, he may just be still talking issue for him; but, if he now gets hold of Niger Delta Ministry, Minister of Works or Minister of Petroleum, it’s that time you would see him wielding more power in Rivers. So, it’s a matter of the portfolio that would be given to him and what would still play out in the next couple of months of the administration.”
On whether there is something left for Amaechi in APC and Rivers politics, the expert said, “For me, the oil of Amaechi has got burned out in the sense that he failed to use his power when he had it. The things Amaechi did in Rivers as governor were some of the things Wike condemned. One of them is the monorail that had no beginning, had no end; meanwhile, it was almost, if not fully paid for. Also, Wike came to put flyovers and other projects that were supposed to have been done by Amaechi. But, he didn’t do it.
“Amaechi lost the opportunity to bring his name to glory in Rivers politics even when he was a minister. Amaechi failed to activate the ports in the South South region when he was a minister and if he had done that, at least, he would have had something to brag about. He was so close to former President Buhari but had nothing to show for it at home. He was only blasting his people and during the election period, he returned home empty-handed. Apart from that, nothing else and Wike drove him away.
“So, there is nothing he did as a federal minister that he can say affected his people directly. With these failures of his, he may not be relevant again in Rivers politics. So, there is nothing that his people will use to consider him even if he wants to return to reckoning in Rivers State. At the end of Buhari’s tenure, they were not in good terms again and he also did not step down for Tinubu or campaign for him, so, what will be his bargain in Tinubu’s administration? Nothing.
“Amaechi may be loyal to the APC but where is he going to go? Is it the PDP that gave him eight years as governor that when he was leaving, he decamped and insulted them or the APC where he was eyeing the presidency and didn’t get and left the race after fighting? So, the truth of the matter is that he should either remain in the APC or put his face down or will he decamp to PDP? He won’t dare it,” Oniovokukor maintained.
Oniovokukor said Wike might remain in PDP and still serve as minister under APC’s administration since there is no law that mandates him to defect before taking the position.
“We understand that appointment will be given to party loyalists but Wike will not be a minister of APC. He will be a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, so, he can still be in PDP; after all, he was in PDP when he gave his loyalty to the APC. There is no law or rule that says he must be in the APC for him to be a minister. Well, the choice still remains his because I really don’t see any need for Wike decamping in the next couple of days, after all, there are people who are not politicians and don’t have political parties that have been appointed ministers. So, he doesn’t need to defect to the APC since he bargained with them when he was in PDP. Whichever way it goes, whether he leaves PDP or not, Wike has actualised what he wanted.
“Rivers PDP will still remain in power at least for the next four years. Politicians don’t bother themselves about whether a leader stays or goes out of the party. It’s their interest that matters. If Wike is minister under APC administration and the governor in his state is PDP and they both keep up their relationship, the state will benefit. The governor will be doing his work as PDP and if he needs anything from the Federal Government, he can meet Wike and he will be there for him. This would have been the situation if Adams Oshiomole and Governor Godwin Obaseki had maintained a good relationship; whether Obaseki is in PDP wouldn’t matter and the people would have benefited.
“Now, Wike will become more powerful in Rivers because he now has a relationship with the presidency and also in his state, the governor is his person. Wike’s case is very unique. Wike was picked because there is no godfather that nominated him; this is different from other ministers who used godfathers to lobby for their nominations,” he said.
Also echoing similar views during an interview, a lawyer and political pundit, J. P. Jones, said there was nothing for Amaechi as far as Rivers politics was concerned.
He noted, “Amaechi has been beaten to the background as far as Rivers politics is concerned. Wike has finished his career and I wouldn’t want to say that he has given him a political burial. For Rotimi Amaechi to be jettisoned and Wike picked over him, you can see that Wike is still in control in Rivers.
“His favourites are the ones in the Senate; his favourites are the ones in the House of Representatives. So, Amaechi is already a goner in Rivers State politics as it stands. Wike’s boy, Governor Fubara, is at the helm of affairs in the state. So, there is nothing for Amaechi as far as Rivers politics is concerned, except he goes back to the drawing board.”
“Whether he (Amaechi) is loyal to APC or not is immaterial because I don’t think the party needs him again,” the lawyer added.
According to Jones, PDP leadership would have to expel Wike having been nominated as a minister by APC government.
He said, “Even if he (Wike) doesn’t defect, it lies in the power of PDP to dismiss him from the party out rightly because he has always been working for the downfall of the party. He has always been pursuing his own personal and selfish interests. As it stands now, the minister he wanted, he has gotten it under the APC, so, definitely, he worked for APC and for Tinubu to emerge as President. Automatically, he should leave the PDP and defect to the APC completely. The PDP has said they would hold a meeting and take action on his anti-party activities.”
Meanwhile, chieftains of the PDP have told The Point that they would investigate how Wike’s nomination as a minister came about in order to know whether he had engaged in anti-party activities or not.
They said if they found out that President Tinubu appointed the former governor in lieu of his inclusive agenda, then Wike would not be penalized, but if they discovered that Wike actually supported APC during the polls and had gotten the ministerial slot as payback, then, the party would not spare him.
A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Diran Odeyemi, said, “There are situations where you serve in order for political parties to advance your party. Let’s see how things unfold. There have been cases cited in the past, that late Chief Bola Ige, who was a staunch and one of the founders of Alliance for Democracy, served in the administration of Obasanjo who happens to be the leader of another opposition party. We are waiting to see the reason why Wike was nominated. If he was appointed on the basis of running an inclusive government, that is, picking people from other political parties, it will be difficult to establish a case of anti-party activities against him.
“And, as somebody has advised, if the party could not establish a case of anti-party against him before now, nominating him as a minister would not be enough because he is not the one that nominated himself. So, we still need to sit down and look at the situation before going forward.”
Asked if Wike’s nomination would give Amaechi upper hand in Rivers, Odeyemi said, “That answer is better given by Amaechi himself. He should know what to do. Politics is a game, it can favour you today and be against you tomorrow, but, whatever is the situation, you will work according to the tide. As it is now, it’s Wike’s time, let’s see what is going to happen in the future. Amaechi may bounce back, he may decide to work with Wike, he may decide to opt out, but let’s see as politics unfolds in the next three or four weeks.”
When asked if former governor Wike would defect to the ruling APC, another PDP chieftain, Niyi Owolade, said, “We don’t know his (Wike) plans. However, before the advent of his moving over, he did so many things that one would say are most unfortunate and after bragging that he would never leave the PDP, it is rather surprising what he has done. I still recall when he said he could not leave malaria for cancer, and it would appear now that he is leaving for cancer. It’s not the first time that somebody will be in a party and the other person will appoint him. However, the series of events that took place before the APC presidential flag bearer of the APC, it’s sad that former governor Wike did all the things he did, especially after some of the leaders of the party said there was definitely anti-party activities from him.
“I think it goes to his credibility and integrity of the man who says that he never would and that’s one of the beauties of the internet that you would say something and it would catch up with you. So, it’s early days for us to know if specifically he is going to say that he is leaving but obviously, we have not had the last of this issue. Bearing in mind what he did immediately before, I think he is the one expelling himself from the PDP. He did so many things that are anti-party.”
He noted, “Time will tell between Wike and Amaechi. I can tell you that we have not heard the last of the series of events in Rivers. Have you considered the fact that as Wike is leaving, Amaechi is coming back? It appears that nothing is impossible; if one person leaves, there is another person who can come back. What I know is that we have not heard the last of events in Rivers. One thing I know is that no one can play God and with due respect to Mr. Wike, what has happened goes to his credibility and integrity. After you swore that you would not go to the APC. After bragging, here we go.”
When contacted, Amaechi’s spokesman, David Iyofor, did not pick several telephone calls put across to him. He did not also respond to text messages when The Point sought his reactions.
According to a lawyer and political analyst, Joseph Agbor, the PDP is dead in Rivers State for now.
He said the journey to the collapse of the party in the state began when the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election, Atiku Abubakar refused to sacrifice, Iyochia Ayu, the then national chairman of the party as demanded by the G5 governors as they were known then led by Wike.
He noted that Atiku failed to comprehend the capacity of Wike in Rivers politics, saying the implication was that the former governor used his position to negotiate with the opposition party.
Wike’s ministerial appointment confirms his selfishness – Fabiyi
A PDP stalwart and member of the Atiku Abubakar media team, Oladimeji Fabiyi, took a swipe at Wike on his ministerial appointment.
Fabiyi said Wike’s action showed the selfishness and greed of a man whom the PDP gave an opportunity and all support to have a name and face in Nigeria’s politics when he was nobody.
He said, “It shows that there is no principle in our politics. The person who offered him and himself are both shameless, most especially, Wike. After all the bragging and grandstanding he made in the build up to the 2023 elections, I remember how he swore that he was not interested in the Vice President but now can go so low as to accept becoming a minister under an opposition party. That is too cheap to spite the party. It speaks to you of a man who has a huge ego problem and lacks integrity and honour.”
When reminded that Wike had approached the court to secure an injunction stopping the PDP from suspending him for anti-party, Fabiyi said, “Finally, the court had ruled that he can be suspended or expelled if need be. The party has the right to expel erring members like Wike and co-travellers.”
Fabiyi noted that for Tinubu to appoint him a minister in his government had shown that desperate politicians have no shame.
“Does Tinubu ever think about the APC members who genuinely worked and voted for him in Rivers State, those who withstood Wike’s harassment, intimidation and vociferous attacks? It’s a bold statement that Wike worked for Tinubu and APC against the PDP, but not to worry, the tribunal will expose him more.
“It shows how lowly our politics has become and in a desperate bid to destroy PDP, Tinubu feels using Wike as a bait is the best. We wait to see how far the new romance can take them,” he said.
Speaking on the fate of PDP in Rivers State, Fabiyi said, “PDP is a strong political party with solid foundation, PDP cannot die or go into extinction because of Wike or few selfish, egoistic and greedy individuals.
“Amaechi was in PDP before moving into the APC, PDP didn’t die. Therefore, it may shake, it may be tough and rough, the PDP will still stay on. We have original owners and members of PDP in Rivers who are still standing strong.
“Unfortunately, the National Working Committee of the party is behaving like a weakling, the party structure seems collapsing, but there are still few founding leaders of the party who will rise to the occasion. I am sure a decision will be made on Wike. PDP has a disciplinary mechanism that will be employed at the appropriate time. I also feel if Wike is bold enough, now that he has taken appointments from the APC after boasting he was not lobbying for a ministerial appointment, he should immediately resign his membership of the PDP. He should not wait to be shown a way out.”
A social crusader and human rights activist, Ugochukwu Ogomuo, said the appointment of Wike by President Tinubu was a thank you gesture for working against his party.
He said those arguing that former governor Wike did not influence the result of the presidential election in Rivers State for Tinubu and APC can now cover their heads in shame.
“What other evidence does anyone need to prove that Wike influenced the results of the presidential election in Rivers State to favour Tinubu? This appointment is nothing but a thank you for a job well done for me in your state. It’s very unfortunate though, that our politics is degrading by the day. You can now understand why Wike was fighting dirty after losing his party’s presidential ticket. It was not about the south producing a President; it was all about selfishness, ego and greed. He wanted heaven to fall because he did not win the ticket and was not chosen as the Vice Presidential candidate. Politicians think they are smart and therefore can take us for a ride but they end up messing themselves up,” he said.
He added that he was not interested in what happens to PDP in the state because he is not a politician and that should be left for the politicians to sort out themselves.
“There is no way I will tell you what happens to PDP in Rivers State with Wike’s defection. Politicians don’t have shame. This same Wike can rise tomorrow to fight Tinubu or even jump into any other party if the tribunal judgment does not favour Tinubu and APC. This is the caliber of politicians we have in Nigeria and that is the major bane of our democracy. In a nutshell, no Nigerian politician has shame; all they are interested in is amassing wealth at all cost. So, when this is the case, how can anyone predict what happens to a party in any state because one politician dumped it. Didn’t Aminu Tambuwal dump the PDP to become a governor in APC in Sokoto State? Today the same Tambuwal is a PDP Senator in the same state. Nigerian politicians are without ideology,” he said.
A Lagos PDP chieftain, Tokumbo Pearse, said Wike being nominated as a minister should not cause a panic in the party.
However, Pearse admits Wike’s inclusion in the ministerial list was to the former governor’s own advantage and that of President Tinubu.
Pearse said, “You can’t force the man (Wike) to leave the party. Becoming a minister in this administration, he’d argue that he’s a minister in the government of national unity. What he’ll say is that he’s going there to take an appointment in order to help the nation.
“He’s not a member of the APC; he’s still a member of the PDP. I’m sure Wike will not be the only member of PDP or even the Labour Party that Tinubu will appoint into top positions in his administration. Don’t forget that this is not the first time this will be happening.
“In the Obasanjo/Atiku administration, they had a government of national unity; they had people from different parties. What’s going on now is that Wike has been very controversial but nonetheless, he has not left the PDP. So, I don’t think we need to panic about this at all in the PDP.
“Wike in the list of ministerial nominees is not a question of plus or minus for the PDP because as long as he’s still a member of the PDP, and if he campaigns for PDP, then it’s to our advantage. There’s no election in sight yet, but if he campaigns for the APC, then it’s not to our advantage, it’s to his own advantage.
“It’s also to the advantage of Tinubu for being broad-minded enough to appoint people outside of his political party to help him in government. The most important thing is what they do as ministers; let us see how effective they will be.”
On the leadership tussle between Wike and Amaechi, Pearse said, “Rivers State can’t have only one leader. Amaechi is still the leader of the APC in Rivers State while Wike is the leader of PDP in Rivers State. In this election, what happened was that Wike decided to support Tinubu and he’s being rewarded for that.”
