By Lateef Adegbite
Those who think that Nyenson Wike, governor of Rivers state, who had had supported Atiku Ababukar, a former Vice President during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration for the 2019 Presidential election on the ticket of the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had withdrawn his support from him because he refused to pick him as his Vice Presidential running mate for the 2023, general elections may have do a rethink.
Wike, a one-time minister of state, Education, during Jonathan Administration, according to informed sources had entered the Presidential race on the Platform of the PDP, because it was the turn of the south to produce the party next Presidential Candidate going by its zoning arrangement. He was said to have held wide consultations both within and outside the party before coming out to make his intentions known to the party members.
Indeed, the Rivers state governor has every reason to pursue his Presidential ambition with all the strength at his disposal and was optimistic of winning the party Presidential ticket because Iyorchia Ayu, the party Chairman hails from Benue state, north central Nigeria, and Walid Jibrin, the Chairman of the party Board of Trustees, BOT, was from the north west – geo-political region. He got it wrong.
Unknown to him, Atiku, the Adamawa state born politician who was said to have penetrated the ranks of the party Leadership was said to have started working against the party zoning arrangement to pave the way for him to contest the party Presidential primaries. He may have encouraged to enter the party Presidential race because Aminu Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the Hose of Representatives and governor of Sokoto, the Caliphate state, and Senator Balaba Mohammed, his counterpart in Bauchi state, described as his fronts, thus making mockery of the PDP zoning arrangement.
With the support of Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto state, Atiku had clinched the Opposition PDP,Presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections, a feat that had thrown the party into crisis.An aggrieved Wike, who was favoured to win the PDP Presidential primaries but lost to Atiku, had accused ‘’the party leadership of bypassing its Laws in the poll’’, insisting that he was’’ cheated and shortchanged’’.
He was said to have shown his anger shown his anger by hobnobbing with the ruling APC, Chieftains to the extent of inviting Bbajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state and Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of House of Representatives, to commission projects executed by his Administration in Rivers state, ahead of the 2023, general elections, sending a signal to the PDP, leadership, that he is not going to work for the party in the 2023, general elections.
He was to have made clear t those that cares to listen that the state is open to all the 18 political parties Presidential Candidates to canvas for the people’s vote by coming to sell their election Manifestoes to them and how they would go about fulfilling their electioneering Campaign promises if elected into the office of the Nigerian President in 2023.
He may have gladdened the heart of the Leadership of the main Opposition party to the ruling APC, when he said that the PDPD, will retain the Presidential Seat in the 2023, general election. The outspoken Rivers state governor may have shocked Atiku, the PDP, Flag bearer when he told him through his proxies not to think of going to win the 2023, general elections, accusing him of ‘’telling many lies to tarnish his image’’, meaning that he cannot be trusted.
Jibrin, the PDP, BOT, Chairman, may have read the handwriting on the wall that going by the current position of Wike, who is an asset to the party on Atiku , the Party Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections it may be an uphill task to win the 2023, Presidential elections.
Hear him: it will not be fair for the next President of Nigeria to come from the north in 2023. He cited the Opposition PDP, which is his own party, where the party Presidential Candidate is from the north, Chairman of the party is from the north and the BOT Chairman was also from the north.
The situation is not different from the ruling APC, where President Muhammadu Buhari, is from the north, Abdullahi Adamu, a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria and former governor of Nasarawa state and now the National Chairman, of the party and the BOT, Chairman are from the north, leaving out the entire south east from the two dominant political parties in the country Leadership structure.
Perhaps, this may have informed why Jibrin, the PDP, BOT, Chairman, has given his words to relinquish his position ‘’ to make the Opposition party remain united as P, to be able to win the 2023, general elections and rescue Nigeria from APC, eight years of misrule.
Even Atiku, the Presidential Candidate, appears to have realised that he needed the backing of Wike, the River state governor to win he 2023, Presidential elections that he is working round the clock to appease him and bring him back to the party fold instead of keeping him away for too long.
On Friday, August, 19, 2022, the PDP, Presidential Cndidate, who is now running from pillar to post to make peace with Wike’s camp, had senta powerful delegation led by Adamu Fintri, governor of Adamawa state, Hon. Adamu Waziri, and Eyitayo Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and a former PDP, governorship Candidate in Ondo state to meet with Wike’s camp to resolve their difference and work as a Team.
Reports has it that those in the Wike’s Team who were said to have held a closed door meeting with the Atiku’s delegations were Mohammed Bello Adoki, a former minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, during Jonathan’s Administration, Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia tate, Donald Duke Olusegun Mimiko and Ibrahim Dankwambo, all former governors of Cross rivers, Ondo and Gombe states, respectively.
Mimiko, a former governor of Ondo state, may have spoken the mind of Wike’s camp, when he said ‘’more talks needs to be held to address some specific issues’’ But Fintri, the governor of Adamawa, home state of Atiku, the PDP,, Presidential Candidate, after meeting with the Wike’s camp has expressed optimism that his committee will be able ‘’to achieve the needed peace and unity in the party’’.
Many believe that Atiku has become desperate to win the support of Wike’s camp, described as very powerful in PDP, circles, as he has suddenly realised that Ifeayi Okowa, governor of Delta state and the party Vice Presidential Candidate, at his promptings on the grounds that he has ‘’most of the qualities he desires’’ might not make any appreciable impact for the party to win the 2023, general elections.
While Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Flag bearer and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, his Counterpart in the APC, see the 2023, Presidential contest as a direct battle between the duo, describing other Candidates as joiners, Ayo Adebanjo, the President of Afenifere, a Yoruba Socio-political Organisation has urged Nigerians ‘’to put tribal differences apart and vote for the right Leader for the 2023, general elections’’. The Afenifere Leader would want Nigerians’’ to vote for Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra state and Presidential Candidate of the Labour party, LP, because he will not’’ disappoint Nigerians’’.
According to him, ‘’Obi can independently rule Nigeria without the influence of those criminals who have been in and out of government over the years’’. He was specific about Tinubu,noting that he will only give continuity ‘’to Buhari’s incompetence’’ if elected as Nigeria’s next Preident in the 2023, general elections.
There might be a repeat of what happened in the Ekiti and Osun states governorshp election. This is because Professor Mahmood Yakubu led Independent National Electoral Commission, IEC, had said that the ‘’electronic transmission of election results has come to stay in Nigeria, contrary to reports making the rounds that the Commission is contemplating a ‘’revert to the manual process of transmission of results which is open to rigging.
FestusOkoye, the INEC, spokesperson had said that the electronic transmission of results methodhas come to stay as ‘‘it would further boosts the credibility and transparency of the country’s electoral process when the electorates follow the polling unit level results on the Commission result viewing portal on real-time on election day’’. He may have spoken the mind of the INEC, Chairman, when he said that ‘there will no change or deviation in subsequent elections’’.
