By: Comr. Bright Eluagu, ESQ, MNUJ
Intelligent leaders don't play with history.
They peruse stories of past political transitions from the archives, in order to be guided in public leadership.
Any leader that fails to manage political crisis, especially self inflicted ones, then such a person might be subjugated by the steady tantrums that accompany public service.
In his recent address, just before he left for UK with other G5 rebellious team, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, alleged that by January 5, 2023, he will announce the presidential candidate his team members will support in the presidential election.
He went on to posit that nobody will stop him from campaigning for the said candidate, adding that Nigeria belongs to everyone, and not few selected individuals.
But in a swift reaction, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, while speaking through his campaign spokesperson, Sen. Dino Meleya, warned Gov.Wike and his team not to take his gentility for cowardice, stressing that any attempt by the G5 Governors to endorse another presidential candidate aside himself, will lead to the end of their political career.
Any sane mind who has been following the political gimmicks of Gov. Wike since his defeat by Atiku Abubakar at the primaries of PDP, will attest to the fact that the governor is fighting for his selfish interest.
Prior to the primaries of the party, Wike felt that by joining hands with some forces to oust his brother, Uche Secondus from his position as national chairman that it will be an easy ride for him to pick the party's presidential ticket.
He was so proud to the point of not seeing what was to come.
He openly denigrated other presidential aspirants, describing them as people without electoral value.
The boastful Wike, while consulting the delegates of PDP in Anambra State, openly poured invectives on Peter Obi, and maintained that only himself was qualified to fly the party's flag.
While he was bragging how the results would be in his favour at the primaries, Atiku Abubakar was busy lobbying other presidential aspirants to step down for him.
However, some political commentators had wondered how Wike who joined politics much after the presidential candidate of PDP had spent some appreciable years in the game, could outsmart the latter.
Wike failed to work with the right intelligence, or, may be, his political strategists didn't feed him with the appropriate information about the secret deals that manifested at the venue of the primaries in May this year.
It is also in the public knowledge that the Governor also pledged at the floor of the convention to support any of the aspirants that emerged after the vote-counts.
The truth is that, Wike is the architect of his own waterloo.
He failed to learn from history.
In his quest to be seen as someone who has no affinity with the Igbos, he denied that his origin had nothing to do with the Igbos.
To him, he believed that denying the fact that Ikwerres' in Rivers State share some affinity with the Igbos, will fast track his presidential ambition.
Today, the reverse is the case, as Peter Obi whom he openly tongue-lashed for leaving PDP, now stands a better chance of being the next president of Nigeria.
One had expected Wike with his level of education and social exposure to woo other presidential aspirants to his side during the primaries, but his over bloated pride did not allow him to see any usefulness in any of the aspirants, except himself.
Now, he has lost everything, which is the main reason he wants to destroy his party.
Gov. Wike who has suddenly become a defender and promoter of equity should be told that the same equity he is trying to seek protection from, abhors double portion and greediness.
I am sure, equity is asking him the reason he did not insist that his party micro-zoned its presidential ticket to the Southeast, considering the fact that Goodluck Jonathan from South-South had taken the turn of the region, where he comes from.
I am also sure that equity will ask him why he disparaged Peter Obi who is from the region that has been terribly marginalized in power sharing formula in Nigeria.
From the foregoing, it is evidently clear that Gov Nyesom Wike is the one who dug his own grave. Like it is said that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
He thought that he could buy all the delegates with the money that belongs to the people of Rivers State.
But the whole process turned against him.
The delegates collected money and still voted for their choiced aspirant.
Now, after seeing that he is alone, and may end up in political abyss after the presidential election next year, he decided to lure other blind 4 governors to join in his war of attrition against Atiku Abubakar.
He is now looking for any of the candidates that will emerge during next year's polls to support, so that he will be giving a soft landing after his tenure.
The Governor has become an entertainer, as he uses every platform to dance and pour funny expletives on his party's presidential candidate.
He even promised to support Peter Obi with logistics; the same man he castigated while he was PDP.
Atiku Abubakar has stated that he had met with Gov. Wike about 5 times, and promised to resolve all his demands, but he said that the latter has refused to accept reconciliation.
He believes that Wike has an agenda to destabilize PDP before the general elections.
However, the question every sane mind is asking; is what Gov. Wike really wants?
The same question I am asking?
Even if Ayu resigns, the new chairman that will take over, whether from the South or North can also choose to be loyal to anybody he wants.
It seems that Wike has forgotten the saying that he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
Comr. Bright Eluagu, an Author, Publisher, Lawyer, Journalist and Newspaper Columnist, wrote from Owerri, Imo State.
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