Politics
Wike: The Making Of An Iconoclast
As the 2023 general elections beckon, the media have been awash daily with activities of many of the contenders and pretenders for elective offices in the nation’s political landscape.
This has led to some rifts and clashes of interest among personalities and their loyalists within and between political parties, a development that is already a burning topic of discussions in the public domain among society watchers and public affairs commentators.
Of topmost importance to my minds is the one rocking the main opposition party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), involving the agitation for the removal of the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, by the G5 Governors or the Integrity Group led by His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike, (CON, GSSRS, Life Bencher) the Executive Governor of Rivers State, who, with all humility, I prefer to describe as the Nigerian iconoclast of this generation .
His agitation is clearly for the rights of Southern Nigeria in this generation and those yet unborn across party lines. He and his co -travellers are insisting that power at the centre should shift to the South in the coming dispensation.
To begin with, they insist that their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), must show example: the North cannot have the Presidential Candidate and the National Chairmanship slots at the same time. Governor Wike’s agitation that one of these positions be conceded to the South of Nigeria clearly supports my description of him.
“Every age, every generation produces an iconoclast, eclectic, eccentric, quirky and unusual figure who ironically represents the measure, values, the essence of that age or generation and becomes the icon of that age or generation. They are not conventional persons, they are peculiar, odd, aberrant, curious, capricious, quaint, queer and even erratic. Somehow, in spite of their unusualness, they remain unusually loveable. They cannot be ignored. They are usually unobtrusive, yet their presence is forceful”. This is the postulation of Sen. Victor Udoma- Egba(SAN) in his book on Uche Chukwumerije titled “A Book is Closed” a tribute.
For many political disciples of Governor Wike like me, he perfectly fits into the above description of an iconoclast, a political father who is blunt and pungent when it comes to speaking the truth, no ornamentation, no colouration, no gimmicks and no window dressing. He is not dogmatic but cannot be influenced by anybody, especially when he is fighting for integrity, fair play and justice for humanity.
Though some very few mis-informed see Wike’s agitation as personal, it is right time they had a rethink as the political cloud keeps getting clearer towards the February, 2023, presidential election.
It is heartwarming though that some elders of the PDP like Chief Olabode George and other party faithful from the South have concurred with Governor Wike and the G5 Integrity Group’s agitation, advising that their principled stance, if not properly and appropriately addressed by the national caucus of the party, may lead to a disastrous outing in next year’s general elections.
They agree that the Governors are indeed speaking their mind and that of the people of Southern Nigeria who are not comfortable with the prospect of the presidency being retained by the North after the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari from the North. Their position hinges on the fact, that while electioneering can be done on the pages of newspapers, electronic and social media, elections proper are not won in the same way but with unity of the political party members, especially when the G5 Integrity Group members are some of the major pillars of the party.
Governor Nyesom Wike, going by his commendable performance in office over the years is, by all standards, a gallant, performing, unassuming and yet very promising politician and is leading his G5 Integrity Group in refusing to accept a chicken change in place of political rights of the entire Southern Nigeria.
His journey is to revoke political marginalisation as well as mediocrity, a journey to say ‘No’ to cheap misrepresentation and enslavement of the good people of Southern Nigeria, irrespective of party differences and ideologies. An important crusade like this cannot be championed by a mere politician but an iconoclast.
It is on record that he is the only Governor that has been able to unify leaders, political parties and peoples in the nation today, evidenced by being the only politician ever to achieve the feat of wooing the opposition to commissioning and flag -offs of quality projects delivered by his administration.
From the South-East, three State governors and others across party affiliation have been special guests to Governor Wike for projects’ commissioning and flag -offs. As well, Governors and notable personalities have been drawn from the South-West, the North. And even the President of the nation himself from the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not exempted.
To my mind, the Governor is the first to practice politics without bitterness in our nation. He is one of those who firmly believes that “To ignore the fact does not change the fact” according to Andy Rooney.
Governor Wike’s G5 Integrity Group can be likened to a political train that must be approached with extreme caution or be faced with political displacement or irrelevance for ever. “Agreement is Agreement” is their cardinal focus which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is ignoring but capable of working against its fortune at the center in 2023.
One may wonder why political commentators are daily listening to Governor Wike’s stand on this matter and seeing his views as that of a true leader we need. Nothing can change the fact that the opposition party (PDP) reached an agreement among themselves before the last party primaries that saw the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner, as the Presidential candidate of the party, that Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, also a Northerner as National Chairman, would resign if a Northern politician emerges the Presidential flag bearer of the party.
The G5 Integrity Group members, ably led by Governor Wike of Rivers State, are Governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Samuel Ortom of Benue State. Other respectable party elders, former governors and founding members, as well as active members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are united over this message.
In one accord, as politicians of like minds, they had made it clear that they are against any politician plotting to scuttle power shift to the South. They are equally adamant that they are solidly behind Governor Wike’s call for the resignation of the National Chairman of the PDP, and that that condition must be met before they can work for the party come February, 2023 presidential election.
While some myopic group of politicians are busy trying to blackmail the ICON (Wike) with lies of plotting to work against the party that he put in unquantifiable efforts to keep attractive and workable, his pedigree and brinkmanship is attaining both mercurial and phenomenal proportion. He has distinguished himself as a politician who understands the intricate polemics of Nigerian political landscape.
Governor Wike as the leader of the Integrity Group is a bridge builder, appreciated by both the old and young as well as politicians and non-politicians, wishing he was the Presidential candidate of the major opposition. By his unflinching demand for fairness and justice within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Governor has, unknown to himself, epitomised the political messiah of Southern Nigeria and an iconoclast of our generation.
His commendable association with governors of like minds and other politicians, even those who are presidential candidates across party affiliations, makes him stand conspicuously as the leader with a mission for the downtrodden people of Southern Nigeria, as well as equity, fairness and justice for our nation.
For long, Southern Nigeria prayed for a leader and they have now been answered. As indications show today, till tomorrow, almost all news media and social platforms in Nigeria would want to highlight and stream the actions and activities of Governor Wike of Rivers State.
Traditional news platforms, newspaper stands and major social media platforms without headlines, highlights of stories and pictures of the Governor are seen as not serious information dissemination channels. No looking elsewhere for the people’s leader. In solidarity, we all should acknowledge this God-given iconoclast of this Nigerian generation for the political right of the people, volunteering to fight for the Southern down-trodden citizens in a country they are regarded as the famished golden hen that lays the golden egg.
Without fear of contradiction, Governor Wike’s agitation for fair play, justice and equality in Nigeria is an eye-opener for detractors as well as those who are short-sighted in what will befall us in the nearest future. The Nigerian iconoclast is heading somewhere. Time will tell.
By: Odinaka Osundu
Mr. Osundu, commentator on public affairs, resides in Port Harcourt.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted on the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise yesterday (Sunday) despite calls by some opposition political parties and civil society organisations for an extension over concerns that millions of citizens could be excluded from the 2027 general elections.
In a notice issued on its X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, the commission reminded the public that the exercise would end on Sunday, July 26, with designated registration centres open from 9am to 3pm.
“Your future won’t wait. Neither should you. The Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise ends Sunday, 26 July 2026,” the Commission stated.
INEC also reminded prospective voters that they could complete the registration process online through its dedicated CVR portal or visit designated INEC offices and registration centres nationwide for physical assistance.
The new Electoral Act stipulates that INEC is required to stop voter registration, updating and revision of the voters’ register 90 days before an election to allow for data clean-up, the printing of Permanent Voter Cards and other logistical preparations.
The law also requires the Commission to display the voters’ register for claims and objections within the stipulated period to enable eligible Nigerians to challenge omissions and errors and help ensure the credibility of the final register for the polls.
The INEC National Commissioner on Information and Voter Education, Mr Mohammed Haruna, told The Tide source that the Commission would not extend the deadline, stressing that the registration exercise had to close to allow the electoral body to begin cleaning the data already collected.
“By midnight on Sunday, voter registration ends. There won’t be any extension. There are so many things that we need to do at the back end. We have to draw a line; otherwise, we won’t be able to produce a clean copy of what has been posted,” he said.
Mr Haruna explained that the commission’s Information Technology team and the Voter Registration Department would begin processing the data immediately after the closure of the registration window.
He said INEC would deploy its Automated Biometric Identification System to detect and remove multiple registrations before the provisional voters’ register is displayed for public scrutiny.
“We have this automatic biometric system that will check whether somebody has registered more than once. They will publish the register for claims and objections. That is, if anybody thinks a name shouldn’t be on the register, or if he has some claims, for instance, that his name has been omitted or some of his details are incorrect,” he said.
According to him, the final number of newly registered voters would only be known after the biometric verification and the claims and objections process.
“So, it’s after all that has been done that we will have a final figure, which we will now add to the existing 93 million or so. That will then become the voters’ register. We are mandated to give every political party a copy ahead of the election,” Mr Haruna added.
Responding to concerns over the number of Nigerians who may be excluded from the 2027 electoral process by the closure, the national commissioner said INEC could only account for eligible citizens who presented themselves for registration.
He added that the commission had recorded registrations through its online platform, physical registration centres and INEC offices across the 774 local government areas.
According to a public announcement signed by Mr Ariyo Rufus, Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity on behalf of Mr Oluwatoyin Babalola, the INEC Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the said exercise is aimed at assessing its operational readiness and testing the efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the governorship poll.
INEC stated that the exercise would simulate Election Day accreditation procedures but clarified that no voting would take place during the exercise.
The commission explained that “the mock accreditation would be conducted in selected polling units spread across the three senatorial districts of Osun State, covering Osun Central, Osun East and Osun West.
“In Osun Central Senatorial District, the selected local government areas are Osogbo, Olorunda, Ifelodun and Boripe, with designated polling units identified for the exercise.
“For Osun East Senatorial District, the exercise will take place in selected polling units across Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade and Obokun local government areas.”
INEC also listed Egbedore, Ede North, Ede South and Ejigbo local government areas as the selected councils for the mock accreditation exercise in Osun West Senatorial District.
The commission urged all registered voters whose polling units were selected to participate in the exercise, stressing that only holders of valid Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be accredited.
“This exercise is designed to test the functionality and efficiency of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) under conditions similar to Election Day. There shall be no voting during the exercise,” the Commission stated.
INEC reaffirmed its appreciation to residents of Osun State for their continued cooperation and support throughout the electoral process.
INEC also assured political parties, the media, civil society organisations and other stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive governorship election in Osun State.
Mr Dare made the remark while criticizing Alhaji Abubakar for hiring a United States of America lobbyist with $1.2 million, in preparation for the 2027 elections.
In a statement he personally signed, Mr Dare said the former vice president can’t take Nigeria down the path of self-destruction.
The statement read in part: “Worse still, for a man who presumes to offer leadership to Africa’s most populous nation, his recent resort to grievance offshoring, outsourcing political warfare to Washington and reportedly paying $1.2 million to an American lobbying firm to peddle petitions against a sitting Nigerian President, stands as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and a vote of no confidence in its democratic institutions.
“It is also a stinging slight, an implicit condescension directed at generations of Nigerian journalists, policy analysts, academics, and public intellectuals who have spent decades analysing, critiquing, and carrying the burden of the nation’s democratic evolution.
“The Atiku Abubakar of today cuts a pitiable figure, a grotesque portrait of what a politician becomes when ambition overwhelms judgment and every political faculty becomes programmed for self-destruction.
“No, Atiku cannot take Nigeria down that path with him. He must travel it alone. But first, Nigerians deserve Atiku Abubakar’s report card. Charity, they say, begins at home, not in Washington.
“Nigerians deserve to know whether the Atiku Abubakar who has long presented himself as a democrat is, in reality, a politician of many colours. He has erected for himself a throne built simultaneously on sand and bayonets. It is time to explode the bayonets.”