BY BRIGHT JACOB
It is exactly two months after the All Progressives Congress-led government of Bola Tinubu appointed a former governor of Rivers State and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party, Nyesom Wike, as minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and Nigeria’s main opposition party, the PDP, is yet to follow through with its threat to suspend Wike who it accused of anti-party activities.
Wike was nominated as a would-be appointee in Tinubu’s government, and following his clearance by the Nigerian Senate and subsequent designation as FCT Minister, a former spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, had vowed that Wike would not only be suspended but expelled from the party “at the appropriate time.”
Clearly, however, the alleged anti-party activities Wike was accused of perpetuating did not start with the acceptance of the ministerial slot offered to him.
During the buildup to the February 25 presidential election, he lost his party’s primary to Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner, and because the then-chairperson of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, also hails from the North, Wike insisted that a southerner emerged as chairperson.
However, it later became obvious that events in the party would not go his way and Wike quickly formed an alliance with four other governors who shared his views and the result was the G5 which emerged in Nigeria’s political landscape to fight for “equity” and “fairness” in the PDP.
After Tinubu won the presidential election, and before news about the possible inclusion of Wike in Tinubu’s team began to generate media frenzy, there had been speculations about the political future of Wike who had begun to gravitate to the former governor of Lagos State.
His romance with the APC and Tinubu had also opened a floodgate of allegations about his motive for “fighting” his own party and throwing the presidential ambition of his party man, former vice president Abubakar, under the bus.
Interestingly, the PDP has been painting Wike as a loudmouthed egomaniac, yet the party has refused to wield the big stick to, at least, address or even curtail the Ikwerre-born politician’s braggadocio.
For want of a better expression, the PDP has consistently shied away from the Wike question.
One of the many examples to buttress the aforementioned argument is the fact that Wike said no one in the PDP could suspend him from the party for accepting the ministerial appointment, and Bwala, who tried to prove that the party could not only bark but bite, had said, “Why we hardly react to what Wike says is because he loves drama, everybody knows that. He was saying that nobody can suspend him and the rest.
“Believe me, the quietness of the party is not a weakness. For everyone who is listening and seeing what he is doing and the party is quiet about it, it is not a weakness. The party knows what it is doing.”
Even though Bwala claimed that the party knew what it was doing, some analysts have begged to differ. This is because sometimes when the party is expected to make bold declarations on some important political matter, the leadership of the PDP has more or less often acted like a dog beating a retreat with its tail tucked between its legs.
A case in point was when on the one hand, Wike said he wrote the national leadership of the PDP before accepting his ministerial appointment, and on the other hand, the national leadership of the party under the acting chairperson, Umar Damagun, had kept mum.
A political analyst, Kizito Opara, said, “This is all shades of political unseriousness. Everything happening in the PDP is an indicator that for the next four years, Wike might be a free bird. Currently, he seems to be unstoppable, and the PDP has to come out of the gate seriously.
“No one is even talking about suspending anyone in the PDP now? The focus of those in the PDP now is the Supreme Court and Tinubu’s certificate. And if they fail at the Supreme Court, they might find it difficult to pick up the pieces and get the party back on its feet.
“It is also possible that members of the PDP see Wike as an indispensable ally even if they said they would suspend him at the appropriate time. I do not understand why they didn’t suspend him when they had the chance.
Unfortunately, as the days go by, it becomes more difficult to do.
“Now, it is even clearer than day that Wike had erred, yet the PDP for whatever reason is still dancing tales by moonlight, instead of capitalising on this. They (PDP) should act now if they truly want to put Wike in his place; otherwise let them hold their peace forever.
“So, yes, this is the best time to suspend Wike because the longer they wait for that appropriate time, the more they make it appear like Wike is moving on the right (political) path. And I am afraid that other players in the game might want to follow this path.”
A political scientist, Moji Jaji, said that it would be wise if ordinary Nigerians “stay off” when politicians have “misunderstandings” like the one between the PDP and Wike, as they (politicians) could still have similar interests and resolve their differences.
The former banker said that the PDP would also not suspend Wike because of the “unfettered power” the latter has in his capacity as FCT Minister. Jaji also said that a lot of politicians in Abuja were property owners who would not want to “fall into Wike’s hands”.
“Wike is making a lot of noise in Abuja with demolition of this and that which he has not even carried out, anyway. It is the ordinary citizens that are quarrelling downstairs, our leaders settle their differences upstairs over tea and champagne.
“So, what I do tell people is that when you see two politicians quarrelling, if you are a smart one, just stay off it. Because when they settle it, it is you they will use to resolve their misunderstanding.
“So, whether they want to sack Wike for accepting ministerial appointments is beside the point. They cannot do it. Because what you are talking of now in reality is a game of power.
“Most politicians are property owners in Abuja, and by the look of things, the man (Wike) has got unfettered powers to check files. We cannot say that people are following the original physical development plans in Abuja. One way or the other, they can get into his hands, and are afraid.
“And in Nigeria, they will tell you that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. What we have are permanent interests. Their interests will coalesce and they (politicians) are just making empty threats. They cannot carry it out because Wike can do as he pleases.”
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, was asked whether the PDP had the political will to suspend Wike but the Ondo State-born politician said there were more critical issues to discuss now about Nigeria than what he was asked. He said that the PDP was focused on “putting itself together”.
And in the midst of a crumbling economy, high exchange rate, Ologunagba also said that Nigerians should get their priorities straight and focus on more pressing issues.
He also said that as the PDP continues to reconcile all the differences among its members, the party would be dealing with issues holistically as they arose.
Ologunagba said, “There are more critical issues to talk about. This party is focused on putting itself together. We are having elections in three states and we are focused on those elections.
“We are not just any political party. We are the PDP. We will deal with issues as they arise and we will deal with them holistically”
“The PDP leaders are not people who just act on impulse. Nigerians want you to act on impulse. Yet, this is a country where we are all under pressure. The economy is crumbling, we are fluctuating and nobody is talking about that.
“Today, the dollar is about N1035 and you know the effect on the economy. Nobody is challenging those issues. We are talking about the integrity of a nation, nobody is interested in that.”
Moreover, Ologunagba added, “We are not just any political party. We are the PDP. We will deal with issues as they arise and we will deal with them holistically.
“Again, a political party is also about the reconciliation of differences in terms of interests whether based on culture or religion or ethnic considerations. The PDP has been able to do that. And have we been 100 percent? Nobody can be 100 percent. But we are trying, and in doing that; there will be challenges like we have had.”
There were also speculations at the weekend that the reason why former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, recently visited Wike, was concerning the chairmanship of the PDP.
In a viral video on social media, the minister entertained Saraki in his Abuja residence.
He was seen in the kitchen showing his culinary skills to welcome the former Senate President.
The visit stirred up a lot of relations online as some social media slammed Wike for cooking for Saraki after he did the same for Femi Gbajabiamila when he also visited recently.
However, the reason for Saraki’s visit to Wike’s residence has been uncovered as top sources privy to the issue said it was unconnected to the chairmanship tussle of the PDP.
In the wake of the 2023 general election, Saraki was part of the campaign team of the party’s flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, but Wike worked against him because he and his G5 counterparts demanded the resignation of the embattled former PDP chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
A credible source who is a high-ranking member of the PDP National Working Committee disclosed that the reason for the Wike-Saraki visit was because of who would succeed the PDP acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.
The source noted that Atiku and some of the party’s leaders have penned down Saraki as the successor of Damagum because they believe he has what it takes to move the party forward.
However, the party was waiting for the Supreme Court’s verdict on Atiku’s appeal against President Tinubu’s victory in the February 28 presidential polls.
The source said, “We are aware that the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku, and a few party leaders are discussing the person that will succeed Damagum. In recent times, I am aware that Atiku and some of these leaders have settled for Saraki.
“They settled for Saraki because they believed he had the charisma and the political will to reposition the party. So, discussion is ongoing within party stakeholders.”
Responding to when the PDP intends to unveil the next national chairman, the source said, “What is delaying the process is the Atiku and PDP’s case before the Supreme Court.
“Once the Supreme Court rules on the presidential election matter between now and November, the leaders will come out open, and things will pick up.”