Game Twists As Wike-Amaechi Fight Continues

Editor’s Note: The struggle between Rotimi Amaechi and Governor Nyesom Wike recently heated up again with the nullification of the Rivers state governorship election. Eustace Dunn, a Rivers state resident, commentator on social matters and Naij.com’s senior editor, in this opinion piece examines the twist on events and the possible outcome of the altercation.

There seems to be a profound reverie for some political followers with the new game twist that surfaced between Chief Nyesom Wike who became governor after the now-nullified elections, and his predecessor and benefactor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

While this may have driven some staunch supporters of Wike into extreme frenzy, those who propagate Amaechi’s aural of activism may ostensibly be engulfed in joyous moments. Indeed, to some others who just prefer to watch until there is one lord of the state, they believe that the die is finally cast between the two warlords who are longtime friends turned enemies.

Governor Nyesom Wike (right) and former governor Rotimi Amaechi (left)

How did the fracas start?

When the heat actually started few years ago, those who remember vividly can attest many had predicted that Amaechi’s political career was already being swept into the dungeon. He had stepped on toes in the spirit of the popular activism slogan: “aluta continua, victoria aceta” – struggle continues until victory is achieved.

In truth, none of the former and current governors of the oil-rich state literally gave the true picture of what had transpired that led to their abruptly getting at loggerheads and going for the jugular. All that was reported on the pages of newspapers was that the fissure in their friendship started as soon as Wike was nominated as minister to the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan. Wike became the tool used in a bid to silence his former boss. The activities and campaigns used in order to shut Amaechi down became intense even as Mama Peace was not left out in the impetuous political jibes.

At the same time, it was obvious that Amaechi did not mind whose horse was gored as he kept pushing even when it seemed that he was losing out. Both of them spat fire and brimstone in their various statements. Eventually, when his support for the change mantra pulled through, his image before a chunk of Niger Deltans became jerked. He was now tagged as one who betrayed his brother for a Northerner.

Nevertheless, there are still more to the cause of the hubbub. It is a known fact that one of the major reasons why people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician’s objective. Truth has been compromised for absolute power, as such, no atom of truth should be expected from any of the warlords of Rivers state. If the veracity of the issue at hand is not placed on the table, there would definitely not be a generic judgment from the populace.

Why Wike succeeded in the first round

In the long run, Wike as the-then federal government minister threw away the fact that he was once Amaechi’s political tactician, right from when he was a local government chairman before being nominated by the same man he fought out. That singular action of biting the finger that fed him sent the signal that Wike’s kind of politics was on the basis of not minding who contributed to his way up.

Granted that he was at the center of government as a cabinet member, Wike had employed the “federal might” to wrestle out the former Rivers governor. The forces behind him were so tough that Amaechi’s godson, Dakuku Peterside, could not clinch the governorship seat during the last election. How Chief Wike won the election is anyone’s guess.

The game twists against Wike in the second round

Afterwards, the Rivers governor said he was bent on probing his predecessor the same way President Muhammadu Buhari was going to probe former President Jonathan. He set up the Justice Omereji-led commission of inquiry to investigate Amaechi’s stewardship while in office as governor. He made frantic efforts to stop his predecessor from being nominated as a prospective minister. And when that failed, every possible effort was also put forward to hinder Amaechi’s screening. That also failed after several postponements. The present one is the awaiting confirmation.

Conversely, Wike’s boat turtled as the state governorship election petition tribunal passed its final verdict last Saturday, October 24. No doubt, buttons may have been pressed from both sides of the petitioner and the petitioned, but the result at the end of the game is the most essential thing for those watching.

What happens in the next round?

To this end, since the tribunal ordered a rerun election in the state, the struggle for supremacy in Rivers state continues till the hearing in the supreme court. Every means necessary would definitely be injected to claim the governorship seat. This means that Governor Wike with the resolution has gone one step backward. He ought to know that the reverse is now the case. He is in the governorship seat and his former boss would possibly be in the minister’s seat.

By and large, as the heat continues with Amaechi having been screened and Wike’s victory nullified, no one needs to be told that things are no longer at ease. Although the governor’s case is now complicated, he had better win the rerun or the subsequent appeal and supreme court cases. If not, he would almost forever regret ever trying his best to drag his successor down.

By way of admonition to the PDP governor, appealing the case would be a waste of time and resources. From the look of things, if only the party gives in to the rerun, the prediction in this piece is that Governor Wike would win provided there is no federal might influencing the election. But if the governor chooses to continue in his appeal, the APC will leverage on that divided attention to win the people over.

Of course, the PDP is fond of the habit of not being complacent when it comes to elections, which is why there had been rigging even in states where they would have won on a plain platform. They do not want to take chances simply on the basis of “who knows what other parties are doing?” This is unequivocally the best time to outshine the APC if the governor recognizes these points: firstly, Rivers state has, since the inception of this democratic dispensation, been a PDP state, and secondly, the fact that Amaechi left his “brother” (according to some south-southerners) to support a northerner in the presidential election will count against the APC in the state. This bias still lingers on in the minds of many.

The Amaechi/Buhari influence on the rerun

Equally important is the talk about federal influence. The question that begs for immediate answer is: by the time Amaechi is confirmed minister, will he inject such tool to pull Wike down the same way Amaechi was dealt with? Will he influence the final ejection of his successor?

In the same light, as transparent as the APC may appear, there are still vested interests. Even if Nigerians are told that President Buhari will remain neutral and will not influence the outcome of either the appeal or the rerun, as the case may be, other APC members may go extra mile to influence the outcome. And when there is another doubt in the rerun or appeal, the contest will not stop. But then, with the continued disagreement between the old time friends, is it ideal for things to continue to fall apart in Rivers state? Residents of the state and the state itself need peace for once.

The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Naij.com.

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