Silent Reasons Wike Respects Tinubu

Governor Nyesom Wike on Friday sharply rebutted a news report in a national newspaper that claimed he had said that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu cannot see the presidency gate in 2023. In his sharp response, Wike said that he respects Tinubu against the grain of the report.  

In rebuffing the report from a newspaper that once claimed itself as the flagship of the Nigerian press, Wike said he holds Tinubu in very high respect despite the fact that they are from different political parties.

“We wish to state without equivocation, that irrespective of political affiliation, Governor Wike has enormous respect for Chief Tinubu and will never say or do anything to malign the hard earned reputation of the elder statesman.”

“It is our belief that the reporter is probably acting as hireling of some treacherous political actors, who often capitalise on the susceptibility of some journalists to manipulate them to publish misleading or factually incorrect information for political purposes. We dare the reporter to provide any evidence to prove the veracity of his fabricated report.”

Wike’s unusual sharp rebuttal is bound to draw interest from political stakeholders as to why he was so vehement in the attempt to pitch him against Tinubu.

GWG recalls that that was not the first time that Wike would express his respect for Tinubu.

After Tinubu in September 2020 made his broadcast on the Edo governorship election, Wike in reaction was quoted thus:

“Tinubu is one man that I have great respect for so when I read the papers, I was taken aback.”

GWG gives some perspectives as to why Wike respects Tinubu.

• If he was misquoted he was naturally aggrieved. No politician that has ambitions wants to be dragged into unnecessary controversies.
• Tinubu and Wike’s most formidable political rival, Rotimi Amaechi are in opposite camps in the APC. Amaechi was one of the APC leaders who opposed Tinubu as running mate to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, and since then, both politicians have been in opposite camps in the APC.It is as such not in Wike’s interest to diminish Amaechi’s rival within the APC.

• Tinubu is already embattled within the APC and it is generally alleged that the ongoing party registration is directed at diminishing him in the APC. Political analysts have said that if Tinubu is not on the ballot in 2023 that he could silently support another person. Wike would not want to rule himself or the person he backs in 2023 in the event of such.
• It is also possible that Wike is in awe of the political hold that Tinubu has over Lagos politics. In an interview in 2013 he alleged that Amaechi wants to be the Tinubu of Rivers State.

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