As Nigerians await President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial nominees, there is a lot of speculation about those who will make the list from various states. In Rivers State, the situation is peculiar in the sense that the party was divided ahead of the recent general election and the campaign for the then-presidential candidate of the party mirrored that division. Correspondent MIKE ODIEGWU gives an overview of the lobby for appointments in the state

The debate Is currently raging in the Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) over who deserves to be appointed minister in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet Ordinarily, the party’s national leadership usually determines through its leader in the state who gets what. Such an individual either presents himself for a ministerial appointment or nominates another loyal party member to represent the state.

But, Rivers is a peculiar state. The last general election that produced Tinubu altered the political curve in most states, including Rivers. For instance, the nominal leader of the APC in Rivers, former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, is known to have worked against the party’s presidential candidate in the key South-south state. Having lost the presidential primary, Amaechi did not hide his displeasure over the emergence of Tinubu. As a result, he never campaigned for the APC candidate.

Amaechi’s loyalists who dominated the APC structures in the state also toed the path of their principal. The Rivers APC Chairman, Emeka Bekee and his entire State Working Committee were only concerned about the party’s governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, who eventually lost the election to Sir Siminialayi Fubara of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Besides Amaechi’s antagonism to the Tinubu/Shettima ticket of the APC, the result of previous elections suggest that his popularity has waned in the state. For instance, in 2015, Amaechi could not deliver the state for his party, even though he was the Director-General (DG) of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation. In that election, Buhari failed to secure the constitutionally required 25 per cent votes in Rivers. A similar scenario played out in 2019; even though he doubled as the campaign DG and Minister of Transport, Amaechi demonstrated his political weakness in his state by not being able to deliver the 25 per cent votes required for Buhari’s second term victory.

Therefore, it would have been suicidal for the APC to depend on Amaechi for victory in Rivers. The former Transport Minister worsened his case and jeopardised his political career because of his discontent with the Tinubu and Shettima ticket. He did not only show his grievances in his body language, he also with vexation tried to cast aspersion on the victory of President Tinubu through his tirade when it became obvious that his friend Tonye Cole was on the verge of defeat in Rivers.

Therefore, the party structure controlled by Amaechi does not have the justification to lay claim to the ministerial slot of the state. APC leaders in the state loyal to Amaechi, including the party’s executive committee worked against Tinubu. Most of them voted for the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, while others supported Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).

Some observers believe Senator Magnus Abe would have been the favourite if he had remained in the APC. Abe dumped the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in pursuit of his governorship ambition. Though he adopted Tinubu as his presidential candidate and vowed to work for him, his membership in the SDP introduced confusion in his bid to support the Tinubu presidential project. He spent more of his time convincing people to support his ambition and his new platform than campaigning for Tinubu. Therefore, building his new party and promoting his ambition overshadowed his earlier desire to campaign for Tinubu.

Besides, Abe’s membership in the SDP confused his supporters, especially in Gokana, his local government. Though the APC won the local government with 10,122 votes, the SDP amassed 3,371 votes, while the PDP got 8,484 votes, which meant that more people voted against Tinubu in Abe’s local government. It was also only in his local government that the SDP had such number of votes at the presidential poll. Abe was said to have delivered his ward 16 Gokana to the SDP presidential candidate. The two units linked to his name in his area were also delivered for the SDP. So, Tinubu lost his unit and his ward.

Undoubtedly, it was crystal clear that the immediate past Governor Nyesom Wike was the arrowhead of Tinubu’s victory in the state. Though not a member of the APC, Wike in all ramifications was loyal to the Tinubu presidential project. As a sitting governor then, Wike, who has over time proved to be the field marshal of Rivers politics, formulated the winning strategies for the APC presidential candidate. He singlehandedly galvanised his PDP structure to work out modalities that propelled Tinubu’s victory.

His approach was discreet. He did not openly campaign for Tinubu. He, however, in many public for a convinced the people of the state to follow his lead. He disclosed to all structural leaders of the PDP that Tinubu was his candidate. The leaders in turn directed their followers on the voting pattern that favoured the APC candidate. Wike spared no resources to ensure the victory of Tinubu in all the local government areas of the state, apart from Port Harcourt Local Government Area where Obi won. The former governor crowned his love for Tinubu with massive votes in his local government area, Obio-Akpor, where Wike mobilised his people to give Tinubu 80,239 votes; against the LP’s 3,829 and the PDP’s 368 votes. Without Wike and his political family in the PDP, Tinubu would have lost woefully in Rivers during the poll.

Also, Wike led the G-5 group of governors within the PDP, which opposed Atiku’s candidacy, to campaign for a southern presidency. The loquacious Wike tarnished the image of Atiku and the PDP on the altar of integrity, equity, justice and fairness. His outburst added momentum and credence to Tinubu’s presidential project.

While in Rivers to inaugurate projects as President-elect, Tinubu acknowledged the roles played by Wike to deliver Rivers to him and promised the former governor that they would sit together to discuss Nigeria. Tinubu said at the time: “Nyesom, as you made me happy, create excitement and development across this state, you have something to look forward to, Nigeria. You and I must discuss that.”

During the recent special thanksgiving organised by the Wike family, all the APC leaders in attendance gave Wike kudos for delivering Rivers to Tinubu and sensitising the country through his G-5 on power rotation. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio particularly thanked Wike and the G-5 for their efforts that promoted justice, fairness and equity during the last elections. He said: “I want to thank you for all your efforts to bring justice to Nigeria. I want to thank the G-5 governors. We are delighted to have you. Ensure that in 2027, another G-5 emerges so that the APC will continue to do well. It shows that you are a nationalist. You are a freedom fighter.”

Our investigations suggest that Wike was under pressure to join the APC as part of a reorganisation of the party’s structure in the state ahead of the 2027 poll. As most APC leaders across the country are asking Wike to join the party, a faction of the party in Rivers has equally called on the former governor to take over the leadership of the APC. The faction led by a former Chief of Staff, Government House, Tony Okocha, said the APC was ready to receive Wike if he decides to join the party. Okocha, who was the Coordinator of the BAT-Vanguard said Wike had the right to join any party of his choice and warned some persons, whom he said were struggling to reap where they did not show.

He said: “We are noticing that some persons who abandoned Tinubu when Tinubu needed them most and voyage outside the shores are now relying on their relationships one way or the other to begin to make some sense of entitlement. That they are entitled to whatever. In the leadership of the Tinubu family in Rivers State, we are at peace 100 per cent with Nyesom Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State as our leader. He who pays the piper dictates the tune.

“When it was difficult, even when the national leadership could not oblige us funds for the presidential rally here, the magic was done by somebody. Our demand is that nobody should rob Peter to pay Paul. Our share of the booty given to us should be handed over to Nyesom Wike. We are confident that as soon as it gets to him, he knows those who worked for Tinubu. And it will get to us.”

Okocha dismissed the claim by Abe that he worked for Tinubu, saying it was not possible for Abe, who was the candidate of the SDP to justify such a claim since his party had a presidential candidate. He confirmed that Abe delivered his two polling units and his Ward 16 in Gokana to the SDP presidential candidate. He said: “Everything Abe did for Tinubu was when he was in APC. Immediately he joined the SDP, he stopped working for Tinubu.”

But, the Rivers State Executive Committee of the APC said it was not calling on Wike to join a party he earlier described as suffering from cancer. The party’s spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, described those calling on the former governor to join the APC as his minions working hard to justify their pay cheque. He said: “We wish to unequivocally dismiss any such rumour or sponsored story planted in any medium that Rivers State APC had at any forum invited Wike to join our party or to take over the leadership of the party he never campaigned for.

“We dare anyone to provide video evidence of any campaigns where Wike openly campaigned for the APC. The terror unleashed on our party members in the cause of his eight years of maximum rulership alone is enough evidence to confirm that Wike has no business with Rivers State APC. Asking him to come and take over is asking an enemy to come and finish off his victims. For those who may be suffering from amnesia, a none APC member cannot be a cheerleader for the entry of Wike into the APC. Nobody can decree his membership in a political party through radio or newspaper publications. All vexatious attempts at distracting our party in Rivers State will keep failing.

“For the avoidance of doubts, the APC in Rivers State has a legally recognized office where all official businesses are conducted. We do also have a standard procedure for convening our meetings according to our party’s constitution. Therefore, it is expedient for the public to be aware that village meetings or gatherings cannot equate with a stakeholder’s meeting of the APC in Rivers State, especially a gathering that took place at a hotel belonging to such a non-APC member.”

Despite the opinions of a few, most observers and stakeholders believe that in the interest of equity, justice and fairness, as well as capacity and performance, Wike deserves to be a minister in Tinubu’s cabinet. (The Nation)

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