Post by naijathunder on May 16, 2024 11:43:38 GMT
Wike, Fubara, And The Avoidable Political Insurgency In Rivers State
By Temidayo Akinsuyi
The current political crisis in Rivers State is very unnecessary and avoidable. A popular cleric, David Ibiyeomie, attributed the incessant fighting between governors and their predecessors in the state to a spiritual problem, but I beg to differ. Most times, the problem is fueled by the avarice, covetousness, and failure of political actors to acknowledge the ephemerality of power and political office. Someone occupied the office before you; you are the occupant now, while another man will take over the same office tomorrow.
The truth is bitter, and it must be said. A popular Yoruba proverb goes thus: ‘Bi a ba f’agbo feegun, aa jowo re tokun tokun’. The literal translation means, ‘If we give a ram to a masquerade, we hand it over completely with the rope on its neck’. You don’t give a ram to someone and still hold on to the rope around the neck of the ram.
In the case of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, having completed his maximum eight-year tenure as governor, handed over the proverbial ram to Siminalayi Fubara. However, Wike wants to continue holding on to the rope tightly from Abuja, where he is currently serving as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
I have read some people accusing Fubara of disloyalty or ingratitude. I don’t think that is the case. I strongly believe the current crisis wouldn’t have occurred if Wike had given him a free rein to pilot the affairs of Rivers State as the Chief Executive Officer. You helped someone become governor, and you appointed all your key loyalists into his cabinet. Rather than pay obeisance to the governor, they began treating him with contempt, saying they could only take orders from you, the godfather. How many governors in Nigeria will accept a situation whereby your aides flout your directives with crass impunity? Wike should do some self-introspection. Can he accept that?
It appears Wike is a poor student of history. If not, he should have learned one or two lessons from that old, wily fox, former president Olusegun Obasanjo, the man who laid a very poor foundation for Nigeria’s democracy since 1999 and is now going about painting the image of a messiah. Upon the completion of his eight-year tenure as president in 2007, it was agreed, based on the constitution of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that the presidency would go to the north and the vice presidency would go to the south. In the North, many notable and highly qualified politicians indicated their intention to run, but Obasanjo settled for the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the then governor of Katsina State. The reason for his choice of Yar’Adua is already in the public domain and will not be repeated here.
In the South, scores of politicians in the PDP, mostly outgoing governors, also wanted to be vice president. We have the likes of Peter Odili of Rivers; Donald Duke of Cross River; Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia; and Obong Victor Attah of Akwa-Ibom, among others. Obasanjo, however, felt these governors were too powerful and settled for Goodluck Jonathan, the then governor of Bayelsa, as his running mate and subsequently vice president to Yar’Adua.
In a book, Against the Run of Play, written by a former Yar’Adua’s spokesman,Segun Adeniyi, Obasanjo confirmed that Odili was actually his first choice as Yar’Adua’s running mate, but some hurdles he did not disclose in the book made that preference unrealisable. Many leaders in the PDP have come out to say that having failed to secure a third term in office, Obasanjo decided to put in power political lackeys he can control in order to rule by proxy. However, that was not the case, as both Yar’Adua and Jonathan developed a mind of their own and never took orders from Obasanjo.
Wike is making the mistake of realising that if you use your influence to put a man in a certain position, he may not necessarily do your bidding because humans have a mind of their own. He may try his best to prove his loyalty, but like a goat that has been pushed to the wall, he will turn back fighting, and that is what Fubara did when he declared “the jungle has matured.” He has also threatened to probe how the affairs of Rivers were managed during Wike’s reign in office as governor.
Going by Fubara’s words, the likelihood of a showdown is certain. Supporters of the two gladiators will likely clash, and this may lead to the destruction of properties. The House of Assembly in the state is already factionalised with the majority of the lawmakers pledging allegiance to Wike, while four are on the side of Fubara. God forbid Rivers State return to the dark days of the Rotimi Amaechi era when a former Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, almost killed Michael Chinda in a 2013 House fracas by viciously striking him on the head with the House Mace, resulting in severe head injuries that required medical tourism abroad.
President Tinubu has played the role of a statesman and has acted as the father of the nation by intervening in the Rivers crisis. He should take a step further by calling Wike to order and instructing him to face his job as the FCT Minister. He should also ensure that taxpayer money belonging to the federal government is not deployed by Wike to fight the battle in Rivers.
On the part of Fubara, he should do his utmost to defend the people of Rivers and uphold the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He should man up as the chief security officer of the state and ensure the resources of the state are solely used for developments that will impact positively on the lives of the people. He shouldn’t use the Rivers money to fight any political battle. Also, he shouldn’t use his position to witch-hunt any known or imaginary friends of his predecessor. He must strive to obey the rule of law at all times and ensure he is not distracted from the agenda and vision he has for the people of Rivers State.
The raging political insurgency in Rivers is avoidable. However, since it has started, concerted efforts must be made to find a practical solution to it because when two elephants fight, it is the grass (people of Rivers ) that will suffer.
www.vanguardngr.com/2024/05/wike-fubara-and-the-avoidable-political-insurgency-in-rivers/
