At a point, his name reverberated the political landscape of the country. From the crucible of becoming a two-term local government chairman of Obio/Akpor in 1999, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike grew steadily to the enviable top-notch in his political career.
Wike strode his political path like a Trojan. Bold, daring and fearless, he carefully set his target and would go all the way to achieve same. And in doing so, he would preoccupied his consciousness with the interest of his Rivers people in benefitting from the political cherries.
A no-mean politician specifically made in Rumueprikomcommunity in Obio/Akpor LG, the second largest council area in Rivers state, Wike’s political sagacity and bridled style of both human and managerial leadership has etched Rivers state on the gold of political history in Nigeria. He was an indispensable voice (and still is) in his party, the Democratic Party, PDP. If he sneezes, the party freezes. And if he screams, definitely catches cold.
His ascendancy to becoming the presidential candidate of the major opposition party in the 2022 party convention in Abuja, was as quick as it was unprecedented. Perhaps, he was underrated by those who never took cognizance of his political ambition and prowess, Wike marched his dream with deliberate actions.
Back to the memory lane, Wike needed a human ladder to grow in politics. This is, no doubt, natural. He found in former Governor Rotimi Amaechi a trusted ally. When Amaechi surprisingly became the governor of the state through the instrumentality of the epic Supreme Court judgment, Wike who received all the fiery darts aimed at Amaechi, was rewarded with the position of a Chief of Staff to the governor.
The Apex Court’s verdict literarily strengthened the K-Legimpediment declared by then President Olusegun Obasanjo on the PDP governorship candidacy in Rivers state. Pressure from that imbroglio forced Amaechi to flee Nigeria to Ghana leaving Wike to absorb the attendant heat.
As a chief of staff in Amaechi’s first tenure, Wike was almost the de-facto governor. He called the shots in that administration. His clean sheet and administrative sagacity accounted for his being appointed for the second time, director general of Amaechi/Tele Ikuru campaign organization. Again, he delivered.
Wike grew in power and influence. He operated freely with little or no checks by his political godfather. Completely lost in the ocean of that freedom, Wike undermined the principles of Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power. His towering influence and administrative candour dwarfed the presence of any politician in the state at the time. Then the conspiracy to keep him at arms-length subtly was mooted.
Critics observed that his nomination as a junior minister of education in President Goodluck Jonathan’s government was done in “bad fate”.That “hostile” appointment later turned out to be a fertile political ground for Wike’s career to grow in leaps and bounds and to the chagrin of those who conjectured otherwise.
Wike would later resign that appointment after serving close to four years as a minister of state to become a governorship candidate of the PDP in Rivers. Nobody gave him any chance of winning that election. It was only natural to believe that with the power of incumbency, Amaechi’s candidate: Dr.Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress, APC, would have a rollercoaster ride to victory. The epic legal battle that the outcome of the election raged from the Tribunal to the Supreme Court and Wike was eventually crowned the authentic governor of the state in 2015.
Fast forward, Wike’s choice of Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo as the first female deputy governor of the state since creation in 1967, was a novel decision that worked to his favour. Ipalibo did not only serve for eighty years as a deputy governor, Wike clearly made a way for her to become a member of the 10th Senate representing Rivers West senatorial district. It is a feat no past governor had dared to try.
In the May 28, 2022PDP presidential primaries, Wike threw his cap into the ring. He traversed the entire country with strength and vigour soliciting support from Nigerians. At Eagle Square, venue of the convention, all eyes were on Wike and former vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Outof about thirteen candidates who went to the race, it was Wrike who nearly tumbled Atiku’s political profile and almost deflated his ego. While Atiku squeezed to victory with 371 votes, Wike garnered 237 to become a close second. Of course, the outcome of that contest was a clear case of high definitive betrayal by some of his best friends before the convention.
A charmingly exotic character, Wike as a governor built his philosophy on the slogan of a NEW RIVERS STATE. And before he bowed out of power, he completely transformed the state to the admiration of ardent opposition forces despite the orchestra of falsehood from critics.
Building twelve flyover bridges in less than four years and quality road infrastructure at the time of global financial doldrums, is no mean feat in this part of the world. He deflated the membership of opposition parties and drew many to PDP thereby clogging any dissenting voice in the state.
Wke was the only politician among the “integrity group” or the “G-5” cartel in the PDP that ensured that his party won almost all the seats in the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate. He skillfully installed the seating governor, Sir Siminalaye Fubara thereby becoming the first governor to successfully handover to hischosen successor without any rancor. It has never been so in Rivers since inception.
While he worked for the success of his party in the abovementioned positions, he exerted the self-same energy in ensuring that his presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar failed to win in the state which has never happened since 1999.
The amalgam of his combative approach to issues of interest and prudent administrative skill which earned him the sobriquets “high tension”,” Mr. Project” among others endeared him to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointment in his cabinet as FCT minister in spite of his being a member ofthe opposition party.
Like the figure “9”, Wike appeals to different people from different perspectives. To Chief Tony Okocha, a chieftain of the APC who has known him from a very nascent stage of his sojourn into Politics, Wike is a political institution to be studied.
“Wike was the first Executive Chairman to build a Magnificent Council Secretariat with State of the Arts facilities. He emerged as one of the best-performing Executive Chairmen in Nigeria. This feat further endeared him to the then Governor Peter Odili of Rivers State, who compensated Wike with the sum of 100m, for making the State proud.
“He rose to become Acting Minister of Education upon the resignation of his Principal and later Supervising Minister of Education. Monumental achievements were achieved in his time, such as the TETfund projects in universities”.
To Hon Ogbonna Nwuke, a former spokesman of the state APC but now a PDP stalwart, “Wike comes across as a focused and hardworking personae with a fighting spirit and a pure heart who took development in Rivers State to dizzying heights. Wike would be remembered for the zeal with which he worked for Rivers people as their Governor.
“You may not agree with his choice of projects, you may not even agree with his style, but one thing no one can disagree with is the fact that he loved his State.
“He fought to recover all lands, oil blocs especially those in boundary areas with neighboring states like Imo and Byelsa states which he was convinced belonged to Rivers State. He fought underdevelopment, providing infrastructure including access roads, hospitals and health centres and educational facilities too numerous to count. Many in this country, including the outgone President and the media acknowledged his feat in the provision of much-needed facilities”.
Ogbonna observed that from former governors (Melford) Okilo to Ada George, (Peter) Odili to (Rotimi) Amaechi, putting Rivers on the political map of Nigeria was a popular aspiration. “They did their part, but Wike achieved more in this regard for Rivers people.
“Under Wike, nobody could toy with Rivers State. Rivers influence could be felt everywhere, in the West, in the North, in the East and the South. He turned Rivers into a political mecca, building bridges of cooperation and national collaboration”.
On his part, Senibo Chris Finebone, also a former spokesman of the APC conceded that “Wike, is several things rolled into one. He typifies that person specially cut for politics. Little wonder he keeps dusting and relegating his erstwhile colleagues in the game.
“He is extremely hardworking. Before leaving office, Gov. Wike, as he then was, kept commissioning projects and flagging off new ones on a daily basis. It is important to say that Wike has a large heart which, again, you may not see from a distance. If he wasn’t, several individuals who were in opposition but later joined him including yours truly, would’ve been overlooked by him. But he is different. If he’s over on anything, he puts all behind him.
“Wike, however, doesn’tsuffer fools gladly. I guess this must be what people mistake for characterizing him as brash or harsh. Well, most honest, intelligent and fair-minded people expect equity, justice and fairness from others in equal measure”.
Looking at Wike from an entirely different prism, a media forte and ardent political ally to former Minister Amaechi, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze sees Wike as a disaster waiting to happen in President Tinubu’s government.
Eze argued that the nomination of Wike as Minister by President Tinubu, his subsequent screening and confirmation by the Senate was an affront on “decency as facts on him do not qualify him as a character that merits such an office. Such imposition at a time the country is struggling to redeem her electorally battered image and reclaim credibility within the international community is to say the least, ridiculous”.
Beaming with fire and fury, Eze queried, “what do you think of a man that bragged so much about overhead bridges as legacy projects in this era of technology? Aside those overhead bridges, he cannot point at anything as his achievements in office as Governor.
“The Mother and Child Hospital he built has been under lock and key many years after it was commissioned. That facility has not been able to diagnose a child of any ailment; what about the Peter Odili Cancer and Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Treatment Center? That place is being overtaken by grass.”
All these criticisms are in the past now as Wike had since taken a bow and subsequently sworn in as the Minister of FCT. Indeed, all eyes would be on a man whose magic wand turned Rivers state to a wonder land. Taking the same psychological intensity of hard work to the FCT, Wike is expected to transform the garbage city to an El Dorado.
Vanguard
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