By Steve Nwabuko
Having forced Atiku Abubakar and his group out of PDP, Nyesome Wike quickly issued a statement that the only way PDP will have peace is if they agree not to present a Presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
A lot of the PDP stalwarts got miffed by this arrogant postation and quickly decided to close ranks and organise their National convention at Ibadan to be able to take the bull by the horn.
The new National Executive of PDP that emerged after the convention, expelled Nyesome Wike from PDP and backed it up with a certificate of expulsion and took over the PDP National secretariat by fiat accompli.
INEC having recognised the new PDP National Executive Council that emerged from the Ibadan convention, has accepted their nomination of candidates for elections in Osun state elections and shunned the Nyesome Wike PDP faction that is in court seeking to get relevance.
Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers state having met with President Tinubu without Nyesome Wike’s brokerage, has sought for and permitted to defect to the the APC and assume leadership of the Rivers state APC structure in Rivers state by Presidential backing.
Nyesome Wike’s belated attempt to now defect to the APC has been blocked by some hawks in Rivers state APC and the APC at the National level is not favourably disposed to admit Nyesome Wike into APC until completion of their chemotherapy treatment from cancer disease inflicted on them by Nyesome Wike’s 2022 national broadcast.
Having been kicked out from PDP and effectively checkmated from joining APC, Nyesome Wike looks good as a Partyless Politician in a Nigeria where he once pulled the strings from both the PDP and APC concurrently.
Four things have made Nyesome Wike to become highly vulnerable, vexatious, vitriolic and volatile in Nigeria’s political sphere:
His brazen brush with the military apparachik epitomised by:
I am an officer.
I am not a fool.
I have integrity.
Secondly, his bragadoccio in the corridors of power with punitive impunity that berates other politicians.
Thirdly, his tribal grandiloquence that denies his Igbo identity has shrunk his sphere of influence in the politics of South South and South East Nigeria.
Fourthly, his umbrage against some northern politicians who dictate things in the PDP showcased him as fighting against the entire North and swept away his supporters from the north.
Is Nyesome Wike still relevant in the politics of 2027?
He still has huge financial war chest for any party that will accommodate him but he will not exercise overriding powers in Rivers politics any more.
Has Nyesome Wike been cut to size?
To a large extent, he has been contained by the diminutive and deft moves by the President who wants the incumbent Governor of Rivers state assume full powers as APC Party leader and call the shots as is suppose to be.
Can Nyesome Wike use the Rivers state House of assembly members to outfox the sitting Governor Sim Fubara?
The APC NEC may not tolerate any further bickering from Rivers state house of assembly members against Governor Sim Fubara or else, they will be reminded that they have defected twice to APC under questionable circumstances that may lead to declaring their seats vacant by simple litigation.
So both Nyesome Wike and the Rivers state house of assembly have wittingly played themselves into the guarded hands of APC.
The fire power of Nyesome Wike and the Rivers state house of assembly have been annexed, neutralised, unhinged and brought under Presidential control.
This is master strategy and Governor Sim Fubara may have laughed last after his bitter six months suspension from from Executive office.
Is it game over for Nyesome Wike?
Probably.
@Steve Nwabuko
