By Suleiman Umaru
Ahead of the February 25, 2023, general elections, the coast appears clearer on who will be the next Nigerian President after the election, described as three-horse race, by political Observers.
Although it is not yet clear whether the aggrieved G5, in the Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, will support Aswaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, A tiku Abubakar, a former Nigeria Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP or Peter Obi, a former governor of the south east state of Anambra. Indications, are rife that Governor Nyensom Wike, of Rivers state and his allies may want to support the LP, Candidate. This is evident going by their repeated Comments at different fora.
Going by the recent Statement by Samuel Ortom, a former minister of state, sIndustry, Trade a and Investment and now governor of Benue state , says any person who votes for Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections is an enemy of the state.
He may have spoken the mind Wike, governor of Rivers state who had said that Obi, the LP, Presidential Candidate has all ‘’the characteristics to lead the country’’, stressing that ‘’.nobody can deny’’ that for him. He was said to have told the LP, Flag bearer, who had commissioned the Nkpolu –Oroworokwo flyover, in PortHarcourt, the state Capital, at his invitation that’’ each time he wants to campaign in the south-south state, he should let him know ‘’to provide him with all the logistics support’’.
He may have given his promise to Obi, the LP, Presidential Candidate to spite the PDP, Leadership, described as powerless to suspend him for fear of its repercussion on the party now that the 2023, general elections is round the corner.
Indeed, Wike and his allies, have maintained their stand ‘’not to Campaign for Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Candidate, in their respective states’’. Notwithstanding the action, Ugwuanyi, the Enugu state governor had said that the PDP, which had had always won the governorship election in Rivers state, will still do it so the 2023, gubernatorial elections,
The recent remarks by the duo, governors Ortom and Wike, bear eloquent testimony to the fact that one of the frontline Presidential Candidates-Tinubu, Atiku or Obi, who are struggling to take over from Buhari after the 2023, Presidential election , has already won the heart of the G5 , in the PDP.
Governor Wike and his allies, may not have wanted to throw their weight on Tinubu, the APC, and Presidential Candidate to avoid giving credit to Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state and immediate past minister of Transportation, the credit of having worked so hard to give the ruling party victory in the state.
This may have informed why many see Amaechi as a baggage to Tinubu, the APC,Presidential Candidate in Rivers state. Wike may have taken advantage of the commissioning of Nigerian Law School, in Rumeme, Port Harcourt, the state Capital, by Abubakar Malami, minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, who had represented the Katsina state born Nigerian President to perform the inauguration of the Law Campus, to hit hard at Amaechi, the former minister of Transportation in order to disabuse the APC, leadership mindset that he is not a political giant that he had claimed to be in Rivers state.
He had said that Amaechi, the former governor of the state, had the opportunity to establish a Law school , in the state when it was offered to him on a platter of gold by the school Authorities but he refused to grab it forcing the school Management to take the Law Campus to Bayelsa state, which was more of a ramshackle, not befitting to Law students.
Recall that when he had presented the application to the Federal government to establish the Nigerian Law school, at Rumeme, PortHarcourt, he never, expected the minister to present the application to establish the Law school Campus, in PortHarcourt to the Nigerian President for approval being one of ‘’the worst critics of the Administration’’ but he did not hesitate in making a favourable recommendation to the Nigerian President.
The minister may not have refused to play politics with it, stating that ‘’there are no funds to build such an infrastructure,let alone refurbish existing Law Campuses across the country. This may have informed why he quickly recommended to the President approve the Rivers state’s application to build a Nigerian Law school Campus in the state.
IThe performance of Wike , the Rivers state governor, who has challenged his Counterparts in the nine Niger Delta states ‘’to account for the huge sums of monies received as the backlog for 13% oil derivation since 199 approved by the Nigerian President, may have exposed the rot in the region. He had lashed out at some unnamed politicians who had attempted to collect $400 million from the Federal government as Consultancy fee but failed to do so.
The impressive performance of Gov. Wike, over the last seven years in office, may have informed why political analysts believe that the G5, which have carved a niche for itself in the PDP, may still be the determinant factor on who will be the country’s next President in 2023.
Wike, who has been very vocal since after the PDP, residential primary in May 2022, that had produced, produced Atiku, as the party Presidential Candidate, for the 2023, general elections, had insisted that for equity , justice and fair play, in the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the party National Chairman, must keep to his words by resigning to pave way for a southern politician to replace him.
The Rivers state governor may have been joined in the fight to force out Senator Ayu, from his exalted office by Ifeany Ugwuani, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ortom and Seyi Makinde, governors of Enugu, Abia, Benue and Oyo, states, respectively, to prove a point.
The PDP, G5, governors, was said to have made it clear to Atiku and other party Chieftains and elders, that the resignation of Senator Ayu, as the party National Chairman, would restore peace in the party. For now, the G5, governors are not participating in the PDP, Presidential Council Campaign, that Ayo Fayose , a former governor of Ekiti, and Chieftain of the party has cried out.
Fayose, the former Ekiti state, governor may have read he and writing on the wall that it will be a tough task , for the PDP, which had seen itself as the government in waiting to unseat the ruling APC, without negotiating with Obi, the LP, Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections to form an alliance ‘’to stand a chance in the February 25, 2023, Presidential elections’’.
He has his reason. ‘’I don’t believe Obi will be able to make 25%, in two-third of the 36 states of the Federation’’. Fayose who could not hide his feelings had said that the is not against the Anambra state born politician Presidential Ambition, insists that going by his permutations , ‘’he can’t make 25%, describing the LP, Flag bearer as more of ‘’a chronic cancer to the PDP’’.
He may have agreed with other Nigerians from all walks of life that Obi, the LP, Presidential, Candidate, who had described himself as a trader,that he does not have the intellect of Chukwuma Charles Soludo, a Professor and current governor of Anambra state, who incidentally was a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and who had tried to rubbish his investments in the state during his tenure .
Prof Soludo, had described the Obi’s Administration over N3 billion investments, particular, on the state international breweries, ‘’as next to noting’’. Obi, who had pride himself as trader had stated if he could achieve that much in the state during his Administration , he expects the Professor of Economics, to strive to do much better to improve the economy of the state.
It may interest Nigerians to note that Fayose had made a declaration that he does not ‘’see Atiku, winning the 2023, Presidential elections’’, urging those giving the PDP, Leadership the impression that the party will win the 2023, general elections, to continue doing so.
He had that the party will never win the south east geopolitical region, noting that the south –south region as a battle ground of all interest s groups. It was not surprising why he had insisted that ‘’reconciling or negotiating with Obi, the LP, Presidential Candidate will be a good thing for the party Leadership to do.
Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Candidate, and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta and the party Vice Presidential may have had at the back of their mind that the only way to get back Wike, the Rivers state governor and his allies, to work for the party is to get, Goodluck Jonathan, a former Nigerian President, to intervene to reconcile the warring parties in the party.
The duo may have had at the back of their mind that Gov. Wike, is leading the opposition in the party, to do to Atiku, what he and his Group did to Jonthan, the Bayelsa state born politician in 2015, paving the way for Buhari to win the 2015, Presidential elections.
The former Nigerian President may have made Atiku, who had tweeted ,that they had visited former President in his Abuja, residence’’ to hold discussions on plans to recover Nigeria’’, that the G5, governors are not fighting his course so that they will not blame him , if the party fails to win the 2023, Presidential elections He had made a declaration that he does not ‘’see Atiku, winning the 2023, Presidential elections’’, urging those giving the PDP, Leadership the impression that the party will win the 2023, general elections, to continue doing so, noting that they are leaving in a fools paradise.
Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Candidate, and Senator Ifeany Okowa, governor of Delta and the party Vice Presidential may have had at the back of their mind that the only way to get back Wike, the Rivers state governor and his allies, to work for the party is to get, Goodluck Jonathan, a former Nigerian President, to intervene to reconcile the warring parties in the party.
The duo may have had at the back of their mind that Gov. Wike, is leading the opposition in the party, to do to Atiku, what he and his Group did to Jonthan, the Bayelsa state born politician in 2015, paving the way for Buhari to win the 2015, Presidential elections.
The former Nigerian President may have made Atiku, who had tweeted ,that they had visited former President in his Abuja, residence’’ to hold discussions on plans to recover Nigeria’’, that the G5, governors are not fighting his course so that they will not blame him , if the party fails to win the 2023, Presidential elections
