Can Someone Remind Wike How Transient Power is?

Power is one of the most difficult concepts to grasp. Lord Acton is remembered for saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely. But no man in the present day has absolute power. Yet, individuals like Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike are proving Acton right even though they only hold a meager fraction of true power.

Since he lost the presidential and vice presidential tickets of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike has continued to rally the different dimensions of gubernatorial power to suppress those he considers contemptible and underneath him. Knowing that he is not the kind of person to prostrate to his adversaries, suppression is Wike’s go-to strategy for defending what he considers to be his territory to the point of toppling law and order and common sense.

It has been a difficult time for those in the PDP since Wike decided to go Rambo on those he considered to have betrayed him. As a refresher, Wike came second behind Atiku Abubakar during the PDP presidential primaries. Because he had determined that Atiku would not have won if the South-south had been on his side, Wike has taken it upon himself to right the wrongs of perceived marginalisation, hoping to get every non-Northern area a chance to stand out during the next presidential era.

Considering all that Wike is willing to do to achieve his goals, including seducing other influential governors to his side. One is reminded of when he revoked the C of O (Certificate of Occupancy) of Novotel Hotel in Port Harcourt, a hotel that was the known lodging place of Wike’s biggest political adversary, Rotimi Amaechi.

Of course, quite many people would love Wike to know that power is transient and not a permanent thing to have and to hold. Even Amaechi whom Wike is so adamant to rid of all authority in Rivers was once the most powerful individual in the state. Look how humble the former Transport Minister has become. Wike would do well to learn from this and simmer down.