Even though the current political crisis, occasioned by the disagreement between Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State and his predecessor, godfather and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, was not quite unexpected, the fact that it came so soon did not give some stakeholders in the state enough time to plan their next political move.
But with the current scenario, many of them have started the process of realignment, overtly for those with the gut and covertly for those unsure of where the pendulum would swing.
Indeed, quite a number of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains and disgruntled All Progressives Party (APC) members are secretly aligning with Fubara, while some are watching to see who wins at the end to determine where they would pitch their tents.
Already, a few aggrieved PDP House of Representatives members, worried by the way things have been going on, have pitched tent with Fubara.
In the past, Wike ‘ran’ the party and the state like a one-man affair; he dictated and decided what happened and who got what. Though a number of party members were not at home with the development, they remained hapless, apparently scared that the former governor might strip them of whatever opportunities they enjoyed.
For instance, two federal lawmakers, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, representing Andoni/Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency, and Boma Goodhead, representing Akuku-Toru and Asari-Toru Federal Constituency, who staged a solidarity walked for the governor from UTC Junction with youths to Government House gate in Port Harcourt, spoke angrily like people that had been hitherto caged.
They also called for the arrest of those who instigated or are still instigating the crisis in the state.
Whatever the outcome of this crisis, the politics of the state would not remain the same. This rift between Wike and Fubara has altered the political equation in the state.
For the PDP, many believe President Bola Tinubu may have offered the former state chairman, Desmond Akawor, a federal appointment to weaken the party enough and clear the way for APC to swallow it, the ruling party’s national leadership having dissolved the former state executive and handed over the leadership to a caretaker committee chaired by Mr. Tony Okocha, a close ally of Wike.
The move ultimately alienated the faction loyal to a former governor of the state and immediate past Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi. Little wonder Okocha was quick to describe the defection of the initial 27, now 26 lawmakers from the PDP to his party as a welcome development.
Whatever remains of the PDP leadership in the state is divided between the two gladiators, even as many expect a shift of loyalty in the coming days.
For the APC, half of its soul has been purged and left hanging. The Amaechi faction, which had held sway for years, appears to be in the lurch. But that may not be for too long, as it is unforeseeable how it would be subsumed by the leadership of a Wike proxy.
Recall that Amaechi and Wike, hitherto political friends, have become arch-rivals since 2014, before the former defected from PDP to APC.
No wonder a former national publicity secretary of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the APC, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, insisted: “The truth of the matter is that Amaechi is still a member of APC and in that case, he is the undisputed leader of APC in the South-South region. All the machinations against him will not stand.
“The attempt to commence impeachment process against the governor, just because he wants to revive most of Amaechi’s vision, like the Songhai and Greater Port Harcourt, all aimed at making Rivers State self-sufficient and empowering most youths, is most sad and unfortunate.”
Eze had earlier noted that the law of retributive justice was working against Wike, recalling that in 2014, he supported five lawmakers, led by Evans Bipi, to sack 27 colleagues loyal to Amaechi, then governor of the state, and elected Bipi as speaker, saying today, five lawmakers have sacked 27 of their colleagues loyal to him (Wike).
In the days ahead, splinters of PDP loyal to Wike could move into the APC, a process that has already started, while those in the APC loyal to Amaechi could conversely find their way back into the PDP or offer support to Fubara, at the least.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, has advised Fubara, who he said is on the defensive, to have listening ears, consult widely and watch properly before taking actions.
He noted that so far, the governor has done well in managing the crisis, adding that his disposition not to fight back but focus on things that would assist him to proceed with governance was commendable.
Fyneface said the main reason(s) the former governor wants his successor to be removed is best known to the godfather and godson.
The activist called on parties to the conflict to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign in the state in the interest of the people. (Guardian)
