By Malami Abdulhakeem, PhD
Nyesom Wike has opened a new page in his political history. Though not new in Nigeria’s political landscape, the Rivers state governor’s recent action of inviting APC chieftains to commission projects executed by the state government, has continued to marvel most observers.
Wike, as one of the country’s most performing governors, has a bevy of projects executed by his administration. His post-PDP primary activity is the inauguration of these projects to which, though a staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in which he contested to be the party’s presidential candidate, he invited members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to commission them.
In a normal situation, there could be said to be nothing wrong in doing that. But for him and his followers, the action is to smite the PDP, which he believed ditched him at the party primary. He feels bitter and has made comments reminiscent of anger. Wike has accommodated visits by members of the ruling APC, which have also signified political romance that is aimed at wooing him to the party.
Though he has not announced his plans on his next line of action, what is abnormal but expected is his resolve to invite APC members to commission his projects. But no, what is more attractive is Wike’s invitation of former Sokoto state governor and a serving Senator in the APC, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.
Wamakko’s invitation is ‘stirlingly’ quintessential because it has provoked many thoughts and, to some extent, created the feelings that, as late Chinua Achebe would say, it is “no longer at ease” between two age-long friends and “the centre can no longer hold.”
The betrayal
Sokoto state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Wike have been identified as two close friends. So close that when the former contested for the presidency in 2019, the former was rumoured to have bankrolled his electioneering. As a result, he came second after Atiku Abubakar at the party’s primary. Wike was also reported to have vigorously campaigned for Tambuwal, resulting in that position. However, the indication of the deteriorating relationship became apparent when the duo contested for the presidential ticket of the party and each not willing to step down for the other.
At the approach of the preparations for party primaries, Wike became a staunch pro-rotational presidency to the South. He has insisted that political parties, especially one he is a member – the PDP must zone the presidency to the southern part of the country. He had argued that the North had had its share of the rotation.
Surprisingly however, his bossom friend, Tambuwal had remained adamant to his friends agitation. He not only insisted that the presidency should be open for all members of the party, who so wished, to contest, Tambuwal also threw in his towel as if to say “to hell with you, Wike”. And like a drama at the PDP primary, the Sokoto governor did not only withdraw from the race but specifically told his supporters to vote for Atiku Abubakar and not his friend, Wike. Tambuwal’s support for Atiku sent the final confirmation to observers of the inner workings of the Tambuwal/Wike relationship that the bond had broken beyond repairs.
Quintessentiality
Why would Wike invite Wamakko to commission projects in Rivers instead of Tambuwal or any other member of the PDP in Sokoto state? Of course, it was the peak of the deterioration of relationship between the two. Pundits say that for Tambuwal to have stepped down for Atiku instead of his hitherto FRIEND, the Sokoto governor had worked at removing the ‘R’ in FRIEND and had politically strengthened FIEND-SHIP.
What the ‘quintessentiality’ of Wamakko’s invite to Rivers is not only in the inauguration of projects. Wamakko did much more than commission a road project. He corrected a wrong notion. Wike, at the commissioning of the road to which he invited Wamakko, said he would have won the PDP presidential primary were it not for the politics of religion and ethnicity that played out and denied him victory.
Reacting to Wike’s notion however, Wamakko pointed out that religion was not a major factor in Nigeria’s national elections. “My brother, I beg to disagree that you lost the election during the last PDP convention because of religion. This is because Muslims voted for Chief Olusegun Obasanjo twice as president of this country. Muslims also voted twice for former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from the South-south geopolitical zone. I am sorry, sir, I have to disagree with you on the matter of religion here. Take note, please,” the former Sokoto governor said.
What Wamakko did not tell (because Wike political observers know) was that he lost because he was betrayed by his ‘FRIEND’. The gentleman Senator would not have remembered Wike of the real reason he lost. Wike was talking with a sensible Wamakko. Atiku scored 371 followed by Wike who scored 237 votes. Assuming that Tambuwal would score at list 150 votes all things being equal. If he stepped down for Wike and announced that his supporters should vote for the Rivers governor, Wike would have garnered 387 votes to beat Atiku.
True, betrayal not religion made Wike lost the PDP presidential primary.
AbdulHakeem writes from Besse Quarters, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi state
