By Andy Briggs
First and foremost, a Kalabari governorship candidate can not emerge from the Rivers APC right now.That is clear enough. Secondly, until the rally at Elekahia Stadium yesterday, one took it as a fait accompli that the former junior minister of Education Nyesom Wike, already had the PDP ticket in the bag. He had got a judgement, overthrown his party state chapter exco, created a new exco, spent a fortune, waged a political war, built a movement, ingratiated himself with the First Lady, courted many party chieftains across Rivers to get to the point where he almost literally owns the Rivers State PDP. Frankly, he has been nothing short of formidable. His rival gubernatorial aspirants, many of whom had followed him when he was waging a war to drive Amaechi out of the party, have looked ineffective against him. How does one run against the party leader who has all the party executives in his grasp. It is almost like running against Governor Amaechi in the Rivers APC. But there has been a strong belief in the state that it was about time for the governorship to return to the riverine especially the Kalabari, since the Okrika, the next in size among Rivers Ijaw communities had already produced a governor of Rivers State. It has been expected that having an incumbent Nigerian President of Ijaw extraction would facilitate this ambition. In that sense, Nyesom Wike who won the hearts of the Ijaw by battling Rotimi Amaechi with a rough mixture of federal power, a generous war chest, an overdose of impunity and the enforcement skills of Joseph Mbu, gradually became the butt of their fury when they realized that underneath it all, he had been advancing a hidden gubernatorial ambition. Can there be anything wrong with that ? To imagine that he was investing his billions just for the love of Jonathan was potty. In this regard, these Kalabari governorship aspirants who had helped build up the Wike movement only to turn back to battle his well orchestrated domination of the party gubernatorial race have shown a want of political savvy and wisdom. A day after their dubiously named ‘mega-rally’, the party secretariat, a bastion of Wike’s influence was set ablaze. The PDP is clearly deeply troubled in Rivers State.
The rally only attracted a scanty crowd, nothing mega! The organizers should have realized that they could not fill Elekahia Stadium. They should have gone to Boro Park. Even in their protest, they are no match for Wike’s savvy. Wike has already taken his campaign to the riverine communities of Bonny, Buguma, Abonnema and even the oceanic communities? It is even on cable television. He has the backing of riverine chieftains such as Chief Ferdinand Alabraba , David Briggs and of course the minister of Sports Tammy Danagogo who delivered Abonnema to Amaechi when Wike was his campaign DG. Wahala dey !
Wike’s riverine adversaries including Nemi Walson-Jack, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack and a host of other gubernatorial aspirants want zoning. Felix Obuah, the party chairman and a confirmed Wike acolyte disagrees. Those protesting want the governorship zoned to the riverine communities who would have endured sixteen years of upland governorship by the time Amaechi’s tenure runs out. Obuah disagrees because zoning would instantly kill his friend and mentor Wike’s ambition.
There has not been a major Kalabari governorship candidate since Peter Odili narrowly beat Ebenezer Isokrari at Gokana. None of the current crop of Kalabari candidates have the resources and connection to upset Wike’s aggressive push to the ticket. No less a personality than the President’s wife has even invited them to Abuja just to ask them to step down for her anointed candidate Wike. Whatever one may think of that, it reveals the size of Wike’s armada. It may of course be recalled that Patience Jonathan, on an earlier occasion handed Wike over to ‘our father’ Dr. Peter Odili whose magic remains as potent.
To produce a Kalabari governorship ticket right now may be a mission impossible but if indeed, it can be done then the aspirants must stop seeming clueless. Firstly, they need to present a united front by agreeing on a consensus candidate. They need to pull their strength and numbers together to make a significant impact against Wike. If they can find in themselves to achieve this, then Wike would have a major battle on his hands. They probably will not succeed in delaying the primaries. It is clear now that no one among them has a special understanding with the chief in the villa. Many of them also contributed to giving Wike the overwhelming edge which he currently enjoys. So they need to brace up, do the needful and head for the primary. If they all march pompously to the primaries as governorship aspirants, they will be felled like a pack of cards just as Dr. Peter Odili felled the RDM governorship wanna-bes in 2003, isolating a disappointed chairman of the grand council. Still, Wike needs to bear in my mind that if right now, the Kalabaris seem to be having trouble finding their way to the Brick House, they are still masters in the art of pulling down a foe.
-Andy Briggs is an associate of Senator Mangus Abe.
