Wike: What Happens To Beautiful, Slippery Ladies

Events in the last week that saw Nigeria’s past and aspiring leaders rushing to London for talks with Governor Nyesom Wike brought reminders of the several talks that led to the country’s independence in 1960.

Among key players who have been to London for talks on the future of the country were President Olusegun Obasanjo, his erstwhile deputy, Atiku Abubakar and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Tinubu indeed relegated the annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA for the crucial talks with Wike.

Tinubu’s decision to delegate his running mate, Senator Kasshim Shettima to represent him at the NBA conference, inadvertently opened up the former Borno State governor to the controversy over his dressing. That has led to a mockery of the former top banker on social media with the #ShettimaChallenge.

How Nigeria’s political actors descended so low to this point, to the extent of exporting the internal processes and mechanisms of a major political party is simply baffling.

It all goes down to lack of processes and failure to adhere to procedures. The sight of three serving governors holding forth in a United Kingdom hotel at a time that the country is in great distress is indeed lamentable.

The failure of Wike to come to terms with his defeat in the PDP national convention is one that many have chided him for. In the opinion of some, the outgoing governor should have taken his first defeat in a political contest with ease.

However, for the Wike camp, the conduct of the national chairman, Senator Iyorcha Ayu and what they believe as his open bias prior to, and after the contest ought to be challenged. That is why the Wike camp has made the resignation of Ayu as its irreducible minimum demand. As a confidant of Wike’s told this correspondent, what would posterity talk of Wike had he chosen to remain mute to the desecration of the processes and procedures in the PDP?

In praising the conduct of Gov Aminu Tambuwal who facilitated the defeat of Wike at the convention, those in the camp of the Rivers governor say that he, Ayu, must also carry the cross.

However, can Atiku swallow such a sanction on a trusted ally who has been with him for more than 20 years?

President Obasanjo has also shocked many with his open association with the pro-Obi lobby. The former president had for sometime tried to hide his preference for the crave of Obidient Nigerians. But by openly coming out and travelling to London, it has made it difficult for those power brokers traditionally opposed to Obasanjo, including people like Gen. Theophilus Danjuma to associate with Obi.

Whatever, as it now appears, the campaign by Obi and Obasanjo to get Wike and his group into the Obidient crowd may have suffered with the Thursday dinner between Atiku and the four governors.

They came out of the dinner smiling, a development many now say may have removed the sail from the wind of the Tinubu and Obi teams.

Particularly for Tinubu. Wike had been known for some time to be sympathetic to Tinubu. About two years ago when an aide brought out a statement condemning Tinubu, the Rivers State governor was quick to issue a sharp reprimand.

Some people even today whisper that the ties between them are not on the surface and may relate to some common interests they developed against Rotimi Amaechi.

That suggestion is fueled by the eerie silence from Camp Amaechi in pushing forward the Tinubu agenda. Also not to be forgotten is the link between the thorn in Amaechi’s flesh in Rivers, that is, Senator Magnus Abe and Tinubu.

Indeed, after the talks between Wike and Tinubu, exuberant associates of the APC candidate, including his Man Friday in Northern Nigeria, Alhaji Ibrahim Masari went to town that Wike would work for Tinubu from within PDP.

Indeed, until that time, your correspondent’s sources in the Atiku camp were chanting that they were about calling Wike’s bluff.

However, the bold assertion by Masari, who was present in the meeting between Wike and Tinubu may have jolted Atiku personally. It was perhaps because of that jolt that Atiku did not tell many of his senior associates of his mission from Paris to London on Thursday. Indeed, some very close to him who knew of the scheduled trip to Paris were shocked to find out about the Wike meeting.

Remarkably, Atiku went with only Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, the governor of his home state. Fintiri as some people know has no option but to openly support Atiku. However, others know that he is one of those PDP governors and party chiefs who have been quietly said to have sympathy for Wike.

Fintiri was the only one with Atiku at the talks and his presence according to a source was to reassure Wike, as if to say, “I have come with your friend to assure you.”

Wike may now have gotten the recognition and his ego assuaged. Not with a former president, former vice-president and three of the foremost presidential candidates coming to pay him the honour.

But pitiably, his options are limited, and what he does henceforth, he must be more circumspect. Having built a legacy through infrastructure development of the state, he must now consolidate on strengthening himself against the backlash that will surely come from those he dragged to London to pay obeisance in the next dispensation.
It may be over for him, but the 11 or so flyovers and the many engagements that earned him Mr. Project will be his legacy.
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