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.
A senator who represented Taraba Central, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, has declared that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu are not yielding the expected results.
His comment is one of the strongest internal critiques yet from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The comment underscores the growing dissatisfaction within sections of the ruling party over the direction and impact of the administration’s economic reforms amid rising living costs and fiscal pressures across the country.
Mr Yusuf, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2023 under the platform of the APC, made the remarks during an appearance on national television.
Responding to a question on whether the administration’s economic direction, often referred to as Tinubunomics, was working, Mr Yusuf answered in the contrary.
“For me, it is not working. I am a member of the APC. I would be the last person to hide the facts”, he said.
He said while the government might be operating diligently within its policy structure, the framework itself is ill-suited to Nigeria’s current realities
“Within the policy framework, yes, they are doing their best, but it is not the framework that is suitable for Nigeria at the point in time that President Asiwaju came into power,” he said.
Mr Yusuf criticised the immediate removal of fuel subsidy on the day the president was sworn in, arguing that the decision lacked sufficient consultation and planning.
“I am one of those who say President Asiwaju ought to have waited. Not on the day he was sworn in to say subsidy is gone. On what basis?”, he asked.
He urged broader engagement before major fiscal decisions are taken.
“Sit down with your cabinet, sit down with your ministers, sit down with your advisers,” he said, dismissing the argument that subsidy removal was justified solely on grounds of corruption.
The former lawmaker identified “structural flaws” in the country’s budgeting system, particularly the envelope budgeting model.
“One of the basic problems is that before you budget, you should have a plan. The envelope system we have been operating has been you budget before you plan. That has been a major issue”, he said.
He argued that allocating spending ceilings without aligning them to concrete development strategies inevitably weakens implementation and delivery.
“If you give me an envelope which is contrary to my plan, whether it is plus or minus, there is no way I am going to implement my plan. It is bound to fail,” he said.
Mr Yusuf called for the scrapping of the envelope budgeting system, noting that he had consistently opposed it even during his years in the National Assembly.
“It is not good for us. It is not going to work well for us,” he said.
He further blamed poor capital releases and persistent deficit financing for undermining budget performance over the years.
“We could not meet 60 percent of our capital budget in all these years. No releases. If you make a budget and the release is very poor, there is no way the budget will be executed”, he stated.
According to him, weak fund disbursement mechanisms and reliance on deficit financing have entrenched a cycle of underperformance.
“Our budget ought to have been a surplus budget, but all our budgets have always been deficit financing budgets,” Mr Yusuf added.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has resolved to reconvene for an emergency session tomorrow February 17, 2026, to deliberate on issues arising from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) release of the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akin Rotimi, who described the electoral body’s announcement as one of “constitutional and national significance.”
INEC had fixed February 20, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the statement, members of the Green Chamber were notified of the emergency sitting through an internal memorandum from the Speaker’s office.
The session is expected to focus on legislative matters connected to the newly released timetable, reflecting the House’s resolve to act promptly on issues affecting the nation’s democratic process.
Rep. Rotimi noted that all related businesses would be treated with urgency and urged lawmakers to prioritise attendance in view of the importance of the deliberations.
INEC had on Friday formally unveiled the comprehensive schedule for the 2027 polls, including timelines for party primaries slated for July to September 2026, as well as the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration in April 2026.
The development comes amid ongoing consultations and proposed amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the controversy over the transmission of election results continues across the country, the Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), a pro democracy organisation in the country, has criticised the National Assembly for not giving express approval to real time transmission of elections results.
To this end, the group is calling on all civil society organisations in the country to mobilise and push for a better Electoral Reform in the country.
This was contained in a press statement titled, “Defence For Human Rights and Democracy Demands Real Time Election Transmission of Result”, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
The group described the refusal of compulsory real time transmission of result results by the Senate as undemocratic, adding that the situation will give room for election manipulation, rigging and voters apathy.
It said that the provision of mandatory real time transmission of election results would have significant improvement on the nation’s democracy.
According to the statement, “Since the return of democracy in 1999 to date, it is 27 years, so our Democracy has metamorphosed from being nascent and as such significant improvement should have been recorded.
“Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is really disappointed at the National Assembly, especially the upper chamber (Senate) for not approving ‘Real Time Electronic Transmission of Election Result’.
“This undemocratic act of theirs, if not tamed, will give room for election manipulation and rigging’”.
Signed by Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon on behalf of the organisation, the statement further said, “The Defence For Human Rights and Democracy unequivocally supports real time transmission of election result”, stressing that his group will resist any act by the National Assembly to undermine the nation’s democracy.
“DHRD,unequivocally supports ‘True Democracy’, which is Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“Therefore, anything that will crash the hope of Nigerians to Freely, Fairly and Transparently elect candidates of their choice in any given election should and will be vehemently resisted because good governance begins with leaders elected through credible process. By so doing, leaders have entered a social contract with the citizens to equitably manage their affairs and abundant resources”, the statement added.
It urged the National Assembly to revisit the issue in order to avoid civil unrest.
According to the DHRD, “To avoid civil unrest,voters apathy, election rigging and manipulation, rather to promote citizens participation, advancing our Democracy and entrenching free, fair, credible and acceptable electoral outcome, the National Assembly should amend the electoral act in a manner that will deepen our democracy and boost citizens confidence.
“On this note, The Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is calling on all other civil society organisations (CSOs) to mobilise, organise and push for a better electoral act amendment by the National Assembly”.
By: John Bibor
