Wike: Tough Man in the Nigerian Political Turf
Dr uche Akunebu
” Tough times never last ,but tough people do”
- Robert Schuller, American televangelist
Politics on every face of the earth is not a piece of cake ,but a hard nut to crack ; and not for
characters like Unoka the weak father of Okonkwo, who detested war and rather prefered to
fiddle with his flute but for people with the heart of Okonkwo,who broke the jinx of defeating
great Amalinze the cat of fictional Umofia and dominated the politics of that community,as we
read in that literary masterpiece “Things fall Apart” authored by the literary avatar, Professor
Chinua Achebe.
When Winston Churchill the war time prime minister of Britain dropped that popular quote on
politics when he said inter alia ” politics is almost as exciting as war ,and quite as dangerous. In
war you can only be killed once , but in politics many times” he was not high on hyperbole,as he
was merely stating the obvious fact that have trailed the Athenian Credo . It is for this reason
that the political arena becomes the natural footstool of men with the raw courage of King
Alexander the Great of Macedon , Genghis Khan ,Richard the Lionheart and other celebrated
world warriors to triumph and not a place for the lily-livered.
The war in politics in not one fought with A-29 super Tucano fighter jet or Ak 47 riffle,but one
with wits ,guts , intrigues,big financial war chest and what have you. When a former senate
president of Nigeria,Dr Chuba Okadigbo notified the world of the existence of “banana peels ” in
the hallowed chamber ,he wasn’t hollering but pointing to the “dangerous ” nature of politics as
enunciated by the oratorical Churchill that he had to contend with while holding sway at the
Nigerian senate . Regrettably, the political gladiator and philosopher of unfathomable profundity,
Dr Chuba Okadigbo, popularly known as Oyi of Oyi , could not survive the slippery nature of the
” banana peels”, as the rest is history.
Within the Nigerian political ecosystem,has arisen a tough political actor in the mould of
Gbadamosi Adegoke Adelabu , the strong man of Ibadan politics ,popularly known as
“Penkenlemess” who was a torn in the flesh of colonial authorities and political foes . One ,who
the tough nationalist mazi Mbonu Ojike of the “boycott the boycott able ” fame would have
patted on the back for showing his back on his party presidential party candidate who emerged
in an arrangement that put spanners on the works of People’s Democratic party’s unity and
sense of equity . Chief SJ Ikoku ,who ran against his father, Dr Alvan Ikoku in a parliamentary election, meeting would have doff his hat for this extraordinarily tough politician. Ditto,for Alhaji
Abubkar Rimi ,Dr Chuba Okadigbo,Chief Tony Anenih and others that were made of sterner
stuff in politics. Res ipso loquitur ( the fact speaks for itself) as it is said in the legal parlance
that Chief Nyesom Wike ,the minister of Federal capital territory,has established himself as the tough man in the Nigerian political turf.
What qualifies him with such accolade ? In the last 25 years of this present democracy he has
been standing in the political limelight, without his political light dimming for a second,a feat that
is yet to be unequaled by any living Nigerian politician. A two- term Chairman of Obio Akpor
local government area in Rivers state , where he announced to the nation his political vision ,as
he became the cynosure of eyes in view of his landmark developmental projects and style of governance. As chief staff to Rotimi Ameachi ,he brought his leadership Midas touch . As
minister of state for Education,he was full of action. As governor of Rivers state for eight years
he became the toast of all,that former vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo had to christen
him ” me projects . As minister of the federal capital, he has changed the face of Abuja.
As a politician he has faced many political battles in the last 25 years ,but like a strong mid-
fielder in the mould of Christiano Ronaldo ,it has not stop him from scoring against the opponents.
He has always stood firm like Tarribo West on the pitch despite the hard tackles
from opponents. As a governor, his election was challenged all the way to supreme court and
he won all. When the former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared that the primaries that
produced Rotimi Ameachi in Rivers state had “K Leg” and imposed Celestine Omehia ,the tough one came to the fore , providing the backup to challenge the then injustice, while Ameachi was
out in Ghana. That he became chief of staff after Rotimi Ameachi won his seat back was the
least that could be given to a man who gave his all to fight for his then political friend.
Talking of political bravery , as a PDP governor Chief Nyesom Wike did not allow the president
Mohammad Buhari led APC government to intimidate his administration. With all the hurdles set on his way by the federal government,he surmounted them all to the chargrin and consternation of the then federal government. At the end of the day , the Buharis government recognised him
with award for his performance in governornance.
Chief Nyesom Wike,while throwing his hat on the ring for the presidency of this country was not
without political storm . The first storm he faced was the volte – face made by some of the
Dramatis pesonae of the “Asaba declaration” that emphasised the southern president within the
People’s Democratic party (PDP) as senator ifeanyi Okowa who played host to the governors
that took that stand ended up aligning with former vice president Atiku Abubkar as running mate
in the 2023 presidential election. The committee which was supposed to take a stand on the
issue of Southern President in his party lost it’s shine when it couldn’t speak up on it.
Even with the manifestation of obstacles to his presidential ambition,the tough man ,Chief
Nyesom Wike,almost was at the verge of cruising home to victory at the peoples Democratic
party presidential primaries, not until his political alter ego , Senator Aminu Tambuwal ,who
incidentally he supported fully to fly the party presidential ticket in Port -Harcourt previously in
the middle of the presidential primary at Abuja ,decided to play the Ephialtes of Trachis, who
sold out his country Greece in the battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, as he encouraged his
supporters to vote for Atiku Abubakar, against his friend. Wike was weak in spirit witnessing how victory in sight was nipped in the bud at the alter of ethnic politics,but like the Greek Trojan
,trudged on.
When it was time to select the presidential running mate for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who got the
presidential ticket by the party , this writer who incidentally served in the policy and strategy sub
committee of People’s Democratic party in 2019 ,with senator Datti Ahmed as our
chairman,once had a lengthy telephone conversation with a respected female professor in one
of the universities in the south – south who knew that one had the ears of some big weights in
the party to make a case for Chief Nyesom Wike to be running mate of Atiku Abubakar having
done excellently well at the party’s presidential primaries. I remembered telling the university
don that Chief Wike deserved to be given the right of first refusal as far as selecting the running
mate to Alhaji Atiku was concerned. In fact both of us agreed that without Chief Wike on that joint ticket that victory at the poll for PDP was going to be wishful thinking. The rest is history.
With a bruised presidential ambition in the PDP in 2023 , many had thought that Chief NyesomWike would have gone into political oblivion,but that was not to be as the tough man in the the
Nigerian political turf has proven to be a phoenix that rises beyond the ashes . He has become
the rejected stone that has become the cornerstone of the building.The convention of the
peoples Democratic party recognised by Independent National electoral commission (INEC)that officially established him as the national leader of the party is a testament to his resilience, doggedness , and political sagacity.
The doggedness of chief Nyesom Wike in the political turf is better gleaned from the political
odyssey of president Donald Trump of United States who fought like a lion to win the
Republican party presidential party primary in America against all odds and making it to the
white House . When he lost out for a second term in office, he refused to be in the political
wilderness,as he made a comeback. Even with bullet wound that came from the gun of then 20-year-old Thomas Crooks on July 13 ,2024 ,who shot him on the ear , the indomitable Donald
Trump did not throw in the towel in becoming president again to “make America great again” as
he continued in his campaign and later trounced Kamal Harris the Democratic party presidential
candidate to become president of America for the second time.
In his 1892 play “Lady Windermere’s Fan ” Oscar Wilde left us with the quote ” We are all in gutter ,but some of us are looking at the stars” is a powerful statement that highlights the power of mindset in overcoming life’s struggles. Chief Wike has been in that place of being in the gutter (low point, difficult time) in his political sojourn but he has soldiered on and looked at the stars (Hopeful, victorious) -making him one of brightest political stars in Nigeria and among the toughest in the political turf.
Dr Uche Akunebu, is a UK based media consultant, writer and global thought leader.
