Following the defeat of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and former President Goodluck Jonathan by President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2015, Governor Wike provided financial oxygen to the PDP.
It is no secret that Wike singlehandedly financed the PDP party’s secretariat. At a point, Wike became synonymous as the face of PDP and as its soul. Without sounding immodest, Wike became the only opposition voice against the APC.
Wike was also responsible in welcoming decampees of the PDP back from the APC to the PDP. He encouraged his appointee, Prince Uche Secondus, who he worked hard to enthrone as chairman of the PDP, to welcome back Atiku Abubakar, Bukola Saraki, Aliyu Babangida, Yakubu Dogara and others into the PDP family.
That Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State governor, is an enigma is not in doubt.
The face off between the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, the party’s chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, brought out the enigmatic nature of Governor Wike.
The disagreement in the PDP was initially triggered by Atiku’s choice of Delta State governor as his vice presidential running mate.
As if that was not enough, the refusal of Iyorchia Ayu to resign after the emergence of Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate further added petrol to an already conflagrated, combustible situation.
Rightly or wrongly, political watchers have accused Wike of having ‘a false sense of entitlement’ over the PDP.
By the way, Wike has been ‘the soul provider’ of the PDP, and being so, like or hate him, he should have the benefit of ‘first refusal’ on critical matters that happen in the PDP. Perhaps this explains why he felt betrayed when the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, ‘Tambuwaled’ him at the PDP presidential primaries convention to emerge ‘the hero of the convention’, no thanks to Iyorchia Ayu’s declaration after Atiku won the PDP presidential ticket.
Recall that Wike travelled to the UK, and while there met and held talks with the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu. That meeting rankled the leadership of the Atiku and Ayu camps of the PDP.
In the beginning of the face off, Atiku and Ayu thought Wike was a lone ranger but when other PDP governors expressed support for Wike’s demand on the resignation of Ayu, it became clear that the demands of Wike had weighted political value.
Wike has not hidden his flirtatious relationship with key leaders of the APC. Recently he visited Lagos and endorsed Governor Sanwo-Olu for a second term on the 2023 election.
Although, the Ayu led PDP and her presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, deliberately avoided to comment on Wike’s endorsement of Sanwo-Olu, it was clear that Wike’s endorsement of Sanwo-Olu has deep political implications.
Penultimate Friday, President Buhari honoured Wike with a presidential award for infrastructure development in Rivers State, irrespective of the fact that the award is an indictment on APC governors on performance in office. It takes courage for an opposition president to publicly admit that Governor Wike has surpassed the performance of his (APC) governors and has bestowed on him an award for performance! Wike is referred to as ‘Mr. Project’ amongst his peers in the Nigeria Governors Forum.
Some political analysts say the award on infrastructure development by President Buhari on Wike might just be the last straw that will finally pull Wike to defect to the APC. Others say Wike is most likely to work to elect his candidate as governor of Rivers State and also work with the APC or labour Party in other elections. This school of thought believes Wike will dump the PDP after the presidential election in 2023.
Whatever, it is evidently clear that Wike may not work to support Atiku in the race to the 2023 presidential election as long as Ayu remains chairman of the PDP.
Notwithstanding, Atiku’s body language suggests that he may have decided to move on with his presidential ambition and campaigns without Wike’s support and would support Ayu to remain in office as PDP chairman.
Permutations for the 2023 elections are hazy and difficult to forecast, especially with Wike and his ‘G5’ group that is made up of Governors Makinde, Ortom, Ugwuanyi, and Ikpeazu.
In 2015, the PDP and former President Goodluck Jonathan could not win that year’s election when it lost some governors to the APC.
Will Wike’s led G5 governors stand between Atiku and his presidential dream in the 2023 elections?
Is the history of 2014, when Atiku Abubakar led PDP governors to walk out on Goodluck Jonathan about to repeat itself in 2023? Karma is powerfully effective albeit remotely.