OPINION: May Wike be the top of Atiku’s sixth run for president?

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, may very well be the kryptonite of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP). Wike has remained implacable and untrammelled. And he appears decided to take his pound of flesh after his humiliation by Atiku. Wike won’t relent till he attracts blood.

There’s a technique to Wike’s insanity. Wike can’t be dismissed or ignored. The Peoples Democratic Occasion (PDP) blundered when it discarded a sacerdotal precept – the zoning principle. Since 1999 zoning has ruled the PDP’s energy distribution. It was by dint of this that Umaru Musa Yar’Adua grew to become the get together’s normal bearer in 2007 and president after Olusegun Obasanjo.

Goodluck Jonathan’s ascendancy was an accident of time and the making of a benevolent destiny. The distortion of the facility character and geography was to be corrected by the PDP in 2015 as Jonathan had reportedly agreed to do solely a single time period. Energy was anticipated to return to the north in 2015, however Jonathan selected to hunt re-election. This fractured the PDP and spun an online of palace conspiracies and subterranean plots, resulting in his deracination.

Naturally, after eight years of energy residency in a single part of the nation, it’s anticipated to orbit to a different.

It’s onerous to elucidate and farcical to rationalise PDP’s gaucherie. How will the get together persuade Nigerians to subsist with the present geography of energy after eight years of the current management? It will likely be a tricky promote.

After the get together’s presidential main election in Could, it was anticipated that winner would start reconciliation and rapprochement with different hopefuls. The first election was not a contest of recognition, actually, however a conflict of money. It so occurred that the person with the largest trove of money took the prize.

The PDP was divided by the result of that train. It shouldn’t have been. It’s hypocritical parroting, ‘’One Nigeria’’ and ignoring the violation of this essence by the PDP. It’s a mockery of frequent sense.

I consider Wike reserves the correct to be upset by the duplicity of the PDP. He ought to have been left alone to lick his wounds after the presidential main election. However he was led on with a phantom vice-presidential bait.

On the behest of Atiku, the PDP arrange a panel to choose a vice-presidential candidate. The panel beneficial Wike, however Atiku most well-liked one other candidate. Regardless of the insistence of the nationwide working committee (NWC) of the get together on the nomination of Wike for the place, Atiku refused.

Learn additionally:OPINION: Are Peter Obi’s supporters shedding oxygen?

In an interview with Come up TV, Atiku stated he can’t work with Wike. In response to him, he wants ‘’somebody amiable’’ to work with.

So, why the pantomime when it was clear Wike will not be needed? Why not permit the person to nurse his frayed ego in peace? Why add insult to damage? Why toss a carrot earlier than him, solely to grab it away the second he tries to take a chew? Why the double-decker humiliation?

And when the governor was taciturn and appeared to have moved on, some supporters of the PDP presidential candidate have been taunting him. Actually, it appears the PDP is but to study any precious lesson from defeat. What is going on now could be harking back to pre-2015 elections when the get together succumbed to morbid indulgences and gutted itself. Seven governors left the PDP within the build-up to the overall election, sealing the doom of the get together. It’s taking place once more.

Because it seems, the get together could lose its strongholds – the south-east, the south-south and even the north-central. Peter Obi’s rocketing motion has left the PDP weak in a lot of the south. The years of unrequited loyalty to the PDP by the south-east are gone. Wike has clearly damaged away from the pack — and with him are some PDP governors. This imperils PDP’s star-crossed presidential bid.

Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), seems attuned to the windfall within the chaos, and he’s seizing the second. It’s in contrast to Tinubu to let alternative go to waste.

Jagaban is assembly with Wike someplace in Europe – that is whereas Atiku had refused to fulfill with the Rivers governor – till the latest ‘’rendezvous’’. Tinubu, clearly, takes his presidential bid with gravitas. He understands the occasions and the necessity for looking for allies and never foes in an election season.

Wike is horse-trading to work towards Atiku within the 2023 elections. Solely a celebration that’s self-secured in second place will ignore this evolving political artistry.

Wike is the whole lot everybody says he’s. He’s uncouth, caustic, brash, vacuous, insipid, vindictive, and may very well be childish. However nobody can take away the affect he wields in his state, within the south-south and amongst some governors within the PDP. He has worthwhile political capital.

It’s onerous to see how the PDP can upend this trajectory to its favour. Wike’s boat seems to have sailed on.

AUTHOR: Fredrick Nwabufo

Articles printed in our Graffiti part are strictly the opinion of the writers and don’t characterize the views of Ripples Nigeria or its editorial stand.

Be part of the dialog

Opinions

Help Ripples Nigeria, maintain up options journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism pushed by knowledge comes at large monetary prices.

As a media platform, we maintain management accountable and won’t commerce the correct to press freedom and free speech for a bit of cake.

When you like what we do, and are able to uphold options journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria trigger.

Your assist would assist to make sure that residents and establishments proceed to have free entry to credible and dependable info for societal growth.

Donate Now