WHY JONATHAN AND PDP CANNOT STOP WIKE
In spite of the crisis within the Rivers State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, where 16 governorship aspirants are kicking against the aspirant, Nyesom Wike; there is no likelihood that the leadership of the party in Abuja led by President Goodluck Jonathan and the Adamu Mu'uazu have the political will to stop Wike even in the face of glaring evidence against him.
While the main bone of contention is on the issue of power rotation between the Upland and Riverine people of the state; but Wike's group argue that he is the only one who can contend with the candidate of the rival All Peoples Congress, APC, being fielded by the governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
The matter which has resulted to the factionalisation of the party in the state has seen the Ijaws kicking against any attempt by the party to field Wike who hails from the same ethnic nationality with the incumbent governor. On May 29, the Ikwerre group would have had an eight-year tenure making it a Sixteen-year reign for the Upland while the Ijaws and the Ogonis are yet to produce a governor for the first time.
The Ijaws who are largely united in the struggle to stop Wike expect the President, a fellow Ijaw man to intervene in the matter. But Wike who has the support of the President's wife, Patience Jonathan, has busied himself with his campaigns touring the 23 LGAs of the State in spite of the fact that it negates the Electoral Act.
Unknown to the agitators, the President may not want to incur more enemies if he decides to stop Wike. The reasons are not far-fetched as Wike has boasted at different fora that he will not be stopped or intimidated out of the race by anybody.
The President is said to be considering the best option as Wike may employ his tool if blackmail against the Presidency, having served as a Minister and being closely knit to the First Lady.
Reports say that when Wike was queried over allegations of sleaze against him while he served as Minister, he had asked the panel to refer their questions to 'Madam'.
It would be recalled that in 2011, when Gov. Amaechi submitted Wike's name as a Minister, the President had rejected his nomination due to security reports which had indicted him.
Wike, on getting the information that he may not scale true had rushed to his close friend, Mohammed Adoke, and warned that if the President refused to appoint him, he would expose the dirty secrets of how the elections were rigged in Rivers State in favour of the President and the PDP. He had also threatened to handover the documents which were in his possession to Buhari who was already at the tribunal to contest the results of the Presidential election.
Adoke was said to have advised the President to go ahead and appoint his friend and ally.
The PDP may eventually be at a crossroad if it does not act wisely as one of the governorship aspirants, Odein Ajumogobia has gone to Court to challenge Wike's candidature on the grounds of an illegal Executive that conducted the contentious delegate election. Ajumogobia, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a former Minister has asked the Court to disqualify Wike over allegations of cultism and violence.
While the PDP is in a dilemma on how to stop Wike who has become the most controversial politician in the region, the party in the state is facing an image crisis as there are allegations against the former Minister if belonging to the Ogboni fraternity, a secret society which he is alleged to use for the initiation of Rivers young men and women. They also allege that majority of members of his GDI were forced to join the cult group before they either become prominent or empowered.
With his known style of spilling the beans when his demands or desires are not met, the Party leadership is worried that he may toe the same path if he is asked to drop his ambition for an Ijaw or Ogoni candidate.
The President is also worried as many prominent people including the INC have commended Amaechi for adopting an Ijaw, Dakuku Peterside as candidate for the APC.