There is disquiet in the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, over the strange cordial relationship between the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and the party’s hierarchy, especially the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
The development is causing upset among the APC members ahead of the inauguration of Tinubu as President and his formation of cabinet within six months.
Against his own political party, the Peoples Democratic Party, Wike is believed to have worked for the national ruling party during the 2023 presidential election and his move has intensified the rumours that it is just a matter of time before the Governor joins the ruling party.
Politics Nigeria gathered that Wike was once the most loyal and influential leader in the PDP prior to the May 2022 presidential primary election of the party.
Nigerians will not forget in a haste how the Governor had, during voting at the convention held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, vowed to commit to the party.
He said then: “I vow today that anybody who emerges here, I will support the person to the fullest because I am a committed party person. Since 1998, I have been at this party, and I am not going anywhere.”
However, the Governor entered into a long battle with the national body of the PDP and the elected presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, immediately after the primary, dragging four other governors along with him to form what was later known as the G5.
He has taken it further after the polls with his recent invitation of Tinubu to commission projects in the oil-rich State.
However, a former governor of the State, Chibuike Amaechi, who came second during the party’s presidential election in June 2022, has been conspicuously absent in as many occasions that Tinubu has visited Rivers State, either as a presidential candidate or as the President-elect.
Wike was one of the politicians who wondered what good works President Buhari had done that presidential aspirants such as Bola Tinubu would base their campaigns on.
Wike had said that Nigerians were under the yoke of APC maladministration with an intractable insecurity situation that has crippled the economy and increased hunger.
But all that posture changed during the presidential election.
Apart from being accused of rigging the presidential election in favour of the APC candidate, Wike has in words and actions shown that he was solidly behind Tinubu, before, during and after the elections.
Members of the APC in the State see Wike’s actions as a scheme to be appointed minister upon the end of his tenure on May 29.
Tinubu, during his recent visit to Rivers State, hailed Wike for working for his emergence, especially by weakening the PDP.
