By Ikeddy ISIGUZO
NYESOM Wike under-rates the purpose of power because he cannot understand it. He is too far gone succeeding without qualms and minimal scruples that he is another great example of how personal quests would increase distractions in Nigeria’s nebulous journey to nationhood.
Wike failed to unseat Governor Sim Fubara who he made Governor. Wike cannot accept his growing unimportance because as Emperor of Rivers State for so long; he believes he can pull the strings at his please.
Power mongers like Wike believe people owe their existence to them. The Almighty merely gets a mention to ingratiate prospective voters, in case their belief would be a factor in where they vote or maintain “correct” conversations. Wike expects things to grind to a halt until he issues his imperial orders from Abuja. Rivers State is not a part of the Federal Capital Territory, where Wike is a Minister but addresses himself as Governor. He direly misses being Governor of Rivers State.
Stories out of Port Harcourt are that Wike was deciding what Fubara did or did not do. If Wike was responsible for oxygen supplies, Fubara, would have been begging for the next breath – exactly what Wike wanted.
How would fraternising with Wike’s enemies be an impeachable offence? It was couched as “behaviour incompatible with the Governor’s status”. Did Wike supply a list of his enemies, likely to be on the increase daily, to Fubara?
When Wike explains his disagreements with Fubara, the drivel is beneath a lawyer of 25 years, a former local government Chairman, a former Chief of Staff to Governor Rotimi Amaechi, a former Minister of Education, and one who was Governor for eight years.
Power, politics are purposed on serving the public. People could make fame and fortune in power. Service to the people, improvement of society’s conditions, and creating a better future should occupy minds of public office holders.
Resources are for the people. Office holders only manage them on behalf of the public. Some like Wike get it twisted.
They play the victim when they affront the law, distort common issues, elevate their base desires to law, and still assault public expectations with confusion.
Wike in his own words, “Let me tell anybody who cares: nobody can intimidate me, nobody. It doesn’t matter whether you go and bring thugs on the road, it doesn’t matter whether you are Ijaw, if I want to do something, I will do it. Impeachment is not a military coup; impeachment is provided under the constitution.
“Nobody can take away our political structure, no one. You cannot work and people begin to bring enemies, those who fought you when you are struggling for the person to be in office, nobody does that.
“I am not a political ingrate, I am not — but don’t touch the political structure of Rivers State. I will not shut my eyes. My conscience is clear, nobody can rubbish me”. He was complaining to PDP Governors who were “pleading” with him.
It is all about Wike. Rivers State is Wike’s private estate where he is the law. His enemies approximate to enemies of the State. He deals with them with state resources while he brags as if the resources were his.
What does Wike have? If Wike built his own structure why should Fubara be forbidden to build one? What structure is so important that public property could be destroyed for it?
Wike failed and will continue to stumble until he edits his exaggerated importance. The support for Fubara who has been in office for only five months should tell Wike that his time as Governor was over. Fubara is in the saddle.
Had Wike been engaged in improving lives of residents of the Federal Capital Territory, he would not have time to know who hobnobs with Fubara.
Nobody believes Wike’s claims that the wanton destruction of public property was about Fubara’s wrong choice of drinking partners. Fubara is not Wike.
The issue is control of the resources of Rivers State, not just the federal allocations but the political opportunities. Fubara is the leader of PDP in Rivers State, not Wike.
Wike cannot live with that. Wike fancies himself as the political leader of Rivers State, the unofficial leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC. He is in mortal fear of losing Rivers State if Fubara negotiates a personal entry to APC which could end Wike’s nusiance value in Abuja and send him into vast political wilderness.
What Wike calls “his political structure” is varnishing. He knows Fubara can throw him out of office, relevance, and as the former Accountant-General could make life uncomfortable for Wike if he wants.
Fubara has immunity. Wike is naked before the law. Wike knows these but he is too full of himself. He does not understand that his moves against Fubara amount to political suicide.
Rivers State could move to APC without Wike. The State is tired of Wike and so are his supposed admirers in Abuja who would find no further value in Wike.
He has delivered over 25 per cent of the votes APC needed in the presidential election. How else is he useful?
If Fubara is so minded, he can execute an alliance with APC. It would be a comprehensive solution to the ceaseless devaluation of Rivers State that Wike has elected to be, forgetting that he is mere mortal, and that on a day he least expects his political declivity could be completed.
Wike has fired the warning shot of his departure. Who would miss him?
Finally…
GOVERNOR Hope Uzodinma of Imo State leaves no doubts about his actions. While the police and his spokespersons denied knowledge of what happened to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, joe Ajaero, Governor Uzodinma said, “What has happened in this ugly coincidence is that the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress is from Imo State and has not been able to demarcate the difference between being a national leader of an organisation and then an interested party in local politics.” Ajaero was beaten for not accepting that Uzodinma decides what is law, what are labour rights. The police hierarchy was meeting in Owerri as Ajaero was battered. There are no suspects. The Governor appears to have lent his immunity to louts. Too many people are above the law. Lawlessness reign in that sphere.
PUBLIC property was destroyed in Port Harcourt and the police looked away because they did not know who to support. They admitted firing teargas and water canons on the Governor as they did not know he was part of the “aggressive” crowd that headed towards the partially burnt State House of Assembly. So much for police intelligence.
NIGERIAN lives ceased to matter long ago. No wonder that there are no shocks about 80 bodies and skeletons found near a cattle market in Abia State. The authorities are moved by power, budgets, elections, and appointments. Our inhumanity is on the rise.
PROFESSOR Ben Nwabueze, distinguished law teacher, who was involved in writing Constitutions of several countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Zambia passed on 29 October 2023, aged 91. May the Almighty rest him.
Isiguzo is a major commentator on minor issues