2023 PDP Ticket: Wike And His Right Of First Refusal ‘Port Harcourt Boy’ Mentality

By Senior Fyneface

Whether his hailers want to hear this or not, there is something not adding up in the public mannerism of the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike and pretending that all is well, will only cheer him up on the current path of self destruct that he is dangerously cruising on.

How can a man who is supposed to be a leader by the reason of the office he occupies be the one quarrelling with almost everybody around him? Wike openly insults Rivers state traditional rulers at public functions only to go up north and dobale for the Emirs there. He ridicules people from certain ethnic nationalities in the state including the Kalabaris, Ogonis, Etches and Oyigbos amongst several others. Even in his opposition PDP, he has arrogated to himself the office of know-it-all and the careless talking governor of PDP governors. Haba!
At the slightest chance, he says unprintable things against his predecessor, Chibuike Amaechi and has made the battering of the man who did so much for him a usual pastime. Wike should be told in the language he understands very well, which obviously is Ikwerre that he is using his own mouth to destroy whatever acceptability he has from Rivers people and even to lots of people from outside the state.

He can keep denying, but truth is that it is now strongly believed in the PDP that the serial uncouth utterances of the Rivers state governor is beginning to depict his desperation to plug himself in the party’s presidential ticket as a haven knowing he will soon finish his tenure as governor and become an ordinary citizen that Rivers people can ask questions concerning accountability in expending state resources under his watch.

Why is Wike spending Rivers money travelling around the country, what is he consulting for? What could he have been telling the governors of the states he has visited?

When he said recently that he is committed to doing anything that will ensure PDP returns to power in 2023, “and begin once again the process of rebuilding the nation after years of All Progressives Congress (APC) poor governance,” he was correct. But that was just a part of the story. The other part which he did not say was that he is doing everything possible to force himself on the PDP ticket come 2023.

True as he said, the outcome of the party’s presidential election will shock many.

His words: “People should watch, there will be a shock as far as PDP convention is concerned. People should watch what is going to happen. People like to underrate so many persons and it is not good in politics.”

As he said, the PDP will not give its presidential ticket to any candidate who will serve only the interest of the wealthy few in Nigeria. This is as he revealed that some desperate politicians are already scheming for a candidate who will not serve the interest of the many, rather the interest of just those of the wealthy few.

According to him, “No amount of gang up can make PDP to give somebody who will want to run election for the interest of some big men, and not for all Nigerians. Anybody who wants to be candidate of PDP must be candidate for the interest of Nigerians.”

Is it not irrational to affirm that the PDP will work with any candidate who picks the presidential ticket while at the same time he keeps on making undecorated remarks at some of the presidential hopefuls of the party especially those he perceives as obvious threats?

It is expected that if Governor Wike has a presidential ambition himself or is supporting someone else, he should be focused on advocating for such aspirations, rather than always throwing gratuitous attacks on aspirants he perceives as threat to his immoderate ambition.

Today, there are 13 PDP governors in the country. Who made Wike the chief spokesperson of the party or even the PDP Governors’ Forum? Why is Governor Wike the only one always talking about the 2023 election and consistently throwing jabs at all and sundry in the party?

Why does Wike think that he can talk for the delegates of the party? As far as the primary election for the PDP presidential ticket is concerned, Governor Wike has only one vote. He therefore has no right to think and act on behalf of esteemed delegates of the PDP.

Wike should simply mind his business and refocus his energy on his ongoing consultations across the country for his presidential ambition and/or covert campaign for his preferred candidate the shock soon to be unravelled. He would do himself more good by working on his public demeanour and focusing on his own consultation and unfolding his political and socio-economic blueprint.

It is becoming obvious that it is for lack of what to tell Nigerians that Governor Wike continues to haul insults and diatribes against whoever he perceives as a threat to his ambition including Amaechi, traditional rulers and key political stakeholders in Rivers state and across the country. This should stop!

He needs to be reminded that his “achievements” at the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) which was well captured and documented is still being kept in view by the appropriate agencies and so he should advice himself as usually said to senior military officers.

It would be recalled that the first time Wike was nominated as a minister under the presidency of His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan; there was a public outcry about the then president nominating a character with unprintable names as a member of the Federal Executive Council. We dare say that it is a shame that by his conduct up till now, and especially on his uncouth vituperation against all and sundry particularly his predecessor, Amaechi, he is only confirming what people at the national stage assessed him to be.

In the first instance, how did he even become a minister of the Federal Republic? Now we are ready to tell him that his truancy has been tolerated for a very long time and that it is not cowardice on the side of Rivers people to have kept quiet in his messing up Amaechi and his government just that some of us are more polished and better groomed than the local Rumueme village boy.

He has always ranted with the chant that Amaechi did not make him a minister. Yes, for known reasons, that’s correct but we dare Wike to tell the world how he became the preferred candidate on the list of candidates nominated by the then governor Amaechi. If he doesn’t, we may be compelled to say it, mark my words!

That issue of his becoming a minister is actually where the main issue between him and his predecessor lies. He is still nursing that wound and hell bent on paying Amaechi back in whatever coin. Wike does not forgive take it or leave it!

And that’s why he is also still finding it so difficult to forgive Atiku since 2019 PDP presidential primaries in Port Harcourt, despite Atiku’s warm-hearted moves towards him after the convention. He is still feeling humiliated and out on a revenge mission. How can a man who says he believes in the God of heaven carry on like this?

This same man keeps creating internal crisis in the PDP, but accuses every other person but himself of such. The earlier he takes the counsel to stop playing Almighty god in the affairs of human beings, the better for him and his politics. This is my wise counsel from the creeks!

Senior Fyneface writes from No 3D Elelewon Street, GRA II, Port Harcourt and can be reached via senior_fyneface@yahoo.com