WIKE THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE

TrackNews Political Commentary by Kunle

Without mincing words, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) biggest issue is Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. To put it another way, Nigeria’s main opposition party, the PDP, is dealing with the process on how to resolve crisis with Wike. The extent of that has now been formally acknowledged by the party, with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Walid Jibrin, announcing that major stakeholders in the party led by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his chosen running mate, Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, all PDP Governors, members of the BOT, and other major stakeholders must travel to Port Harcourt to appeal to Wike not to leave the party, not to become angry, and not to do anything against the party Rivers state is led by Governor Nyesom Wike.

He claims that since the PDP lost power in 2015, he has carried the party on his back, providing resources and leadership at a time when the PDP began to act like a fish out of water. The void was filled by Wike. In 2022, he presented himself as an advocate for a power shift to the South, as well as a Presidential candidate.

By some alchemy, the PDP ignored Section 3 of its own constitution and decided through a 37-member committee that the party would abandon its zoning formula, the same formula that the rival All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’ ruling party, had appropriated, and thus the party threw the Presidency on its platform open.

That didn’t sit well with Nyesom Wike, so he threw his hat in the ring and decided to run for the position. His ambition has proven to be a teachable moment, a reality check, and, in the long run, a reminder of his own naivety. Twenty-four hours before the PDP Presidential Convention in Abuja on May 28, everyone expected the Southern agenda to triumph and Wike or any of the other Southern aspirants, including former Secretary to the Government Anyim Pius Anyim and former Senate President Bukola Saraki, to receive the party’s nomination.

Everything changed within the allotted 24 hours. Northerners are better politicians than Southerners, regardless of political party. Southerners talk a lot. Northerners think and plan. While the latter are concerned with community and group interests, the egoistic Mercedes-Benz crowd in the South is only concerned with ego and personal ambition. At the PDP National Convention, Governor Aminu Tambuwal stood up and openly declared his support for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

This changed everything. In 2019, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike backed the same Governor Tambuwal. Tambuwal let him down and threw him under the bus on May 28, 2022. I have not seen or heard of Governor Tambuwal making any attempt to apologize or reach out. Instead, he was greeted as a hero upon his return to Sokoto and has since been elected as the PDP Senatorial candidate for Sokoto South.

Wike was not only subjected to open humiliation and treachery by Governor Tambuwal, but he also came in second place on that score. Tambuwal is from the North West, which supplied the vast majority of delegates to the PDP Convention. Tambuwal’s supporters continue to blame Wike for his defeat. They claim he broke the rule that “one good turn deserves another.” Wike finished second in the PDP Presidential primary. What remained was for the party to select a running mate, and even in that regard, Wike was defeated. Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, behaving like a Wike henchman, stated on international television that Wike is the best thing that has ever happened to the PDP since 2015, and that a committee of which he was a member

Nonetheless, he admits that Okowa is highly qualified, having served in positions ranging from Local Government Chairman to President of the Republic. But he believes Atiku Abubakar made a mistake in rejecting Wike, who was chosen by 14 of a 17-member panel. Wike’s supporters are distraught. They believe they have been taken advantage of. They believe Wike’s contributions to the party were thrashed in order to spite and humiliate him. Politics is a lunatic asylum. Wike’s supporters also want to demonstrate that they will not be treated poorly. In the PDP, a new strain of insanity is sprouting like marijuana, which may provide an unfair advantage to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), or the now-famous Third Force, NNPP.

Back to main discussion, Nyesom Wike has returned from his much-publicized vacation in Istanbul, Turkey, where he apparently ate some turkey and licked some ice cream. My advice to him is to “chill out,” as they say. A child has every right to cry when he is beaten. An adult has every right to be angry when he is betrayed. Wike aspired to be the President’s standard bearer. He was unsuccessful. He also lost the position of running mate. He was betrayed by people he didn’t expect to betray him. He’s been openly upset enough. He has been heard all over the world. But he must remember one thing: in Nigeria, if you want something badly enough, no one will give it to you.

There would be more than enough people to humiliate and humble you by denying you what you crave. Wike is, without a doubt, a victim of his own expectations, but he is also a victim of the sadomasochism of Nigeria’s elite political class. He needs to stop hitting his head against the wall.

When a child is dissatisfied and begins crying, every effort is made to appease him; however, if he continues to cry and wailing, he will be left alone, and those seeking to appease him will adopt a wait and see attitude in the expectation that once he becomes tired, he will keep quiet. Wike should not take his argument to that extreme. He must also avoid becoming the easy and convenient reference in the event that the PDP loses the 2023 Presidential election, or the punchline in the event that the party wins. Except if you are cut in the mold of Obafemi Awolowo, no tree makes a forest.

It is past time for Atiku Abubakar to start uniting the party as promised. He needs to cut his long vacation short and get back to work.