Wike, G5 governors and political suicide

A swan lets out one final croaky cry and wild kick earlier than giving up the ghost. That’s the chook’s one final gasp of air and futile try and clutch to life. Governor Nyesom Wike and his G5 governors now reduce such a tragic sight. They’re both going or coming back from London, losing their states’ sources searching for consideration whereas the bigger PDP household prepare has since moved on although leaving the door vast open in case these prodigals wish to return house.

They’re wailing like kids searching for maternal consideration in such a shrill tone that’s now irritating to those who had been as soon as admirers. They don’t appear to understand they’ve misplaced public sympathy. They seem to have taken the suicidal flip, relatively than beat a retreat, intent on ending their in any other case illustrious political careers.

They’re now like a bull in a china store, decided to take the occasion and its possibilities within the 2023 polls down with them. It’s both their method or the freeway! In the meantime, 4 of the 5 G5 governors are on the poll for 2023, three going to the senate whereas one (Seyi Makinde) seeks reelection as Oyo state governor.

Typically one wonders… suppose the PDP writes INEC to tug out of the election for the seats they search within the 2023 election beneath the PDP platform. In spite of everything, going by the Electoral Act, it’s the political occasion that stands for election, not particular person candidates and there’s no provision for unbiased candidates. What can be the destiny of those 4 governors even when they win?

Cleverly, these males have offered themselves as voices of the south. They cried concerning the marginalisation of the south to achieve public sympathy. They referred to as consideration to the north holding onto the positions of the PDP presidential flagbearer and nationwide chairman. They by some means managed to persuade many Nigerians that they don’t have anything to do with the forces that created the situation they protest; whereas the committee on the zoning of the PDP occasion workplaces was chaired by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state, one of many G5 governors. The Ugwuanyi committee advisable that the PDP nationwide chairman place be zoned to the north and shouldn’t be paired with the PDP presidential ticket.

What was Governor Ugwuanyi pondering when he set the stage for the PDP presidential ticket to be left free to the entire nation whereas guaranteeing the occasion chairmanship to the north? Was that how finest to guard the curiosity of the south as G5 governors now declare? Was that not the start of the south shedding the PDP ticket and occasion chairmanship?

One other alternative provided itself to treatment the harm finished to the aspiration of manufacturing a President of South Nigeria extraction by the Ugwuanyi committee. That was provided by the Governor Samuel Ortom committee, which was mandated to advocate which divide of the nation ought to produce the PDP presidential flagbearer. Ortom, one other G5 governor, led his committee to advocate that the PDP presidential ticket be thrown open to the entire nation.

It’s instructive that every one the 17 representatives of the 17 southern states, together with south-east representatives, all voted that the PDP presidential ticket be thrown open to the entire nation. All with out exception unanimously voted to permit all elements of the nation to contest. Was Ortom pondering of the curiosity of the south then?

There was additionally one other alternative that was offered earlier than the Ortom committee. Atiku Abubakar provided to step down from the race if PDP zoning to the south meant zoning to the south-east as the one zone but to provide a president or vice from Southern Nigeria within the present dispensation. What did Wike and his G5 governors do about that provide by Atiku? Reality is: the G5 governors all labored very onerous to make sure that the PDP ticket was thrown open to the entire nation, whereas unwittingly ignoring to their peril the numerical energy of the north within the PDP presidential main.

So, out of the G5 governors, three had been pivotal in guaranteeing that the PDP presidential ticket was thrown open to the entire nation.

One retains listening to that Senator Iyorchia Ayu has refused to step all the way down to allow the south to provide the chairman of the occasion. That is an afterthought and the declare of a sinking lot. Ayu stepping down will solely change into crucial and practicable when Atiku wins as president. Doing so earlier than then can have harmful penalties. One, one other clique might begin a contemporary agitation if Ayu resigns and PDP might not have the time to cope with it. Two, Ayu going might require a contemporary mini-convention, and the luxurious of time is what PDP doesn’t have with the presidential election simply weeks away. Wike and co realize it.

Why then are Wike and his gang so decided on flattening the home they helped to construct? A madman set his home ablaze and stated to himself whereas the hearth raged, “in all places is vibrant now”. However the brightness quickly gave technique to ethereal darkness.

One can solely see Harakiri and Seppuku (each Japanese phrases describing several types of suicide) in what Wike and the G5 governors are doing. Harakiri refers back to the motion of slicing open the abdomen in a suicide bid; whereas Seppuku represents the ritual and the standard process of slicing the abdomen for suicide unassisted.

Essentially, Harakiri and Seppuku are each suicides and within the political sense and the context of G5 governors’ actions, self-destruct of 1’s political profession. There is no such thing as a advantage in any type of suicide, political or not. Politics will not be an ethical sport however a sport of chilly, concentric circles of conspiracies through which one set of conspirators is certain to emerge the winner.

Wike and co know that relatively than struggle for the PDP ticket to be zoned to the south, they as an alternative conspired to disclaim the south the ticket, believing they’d get it if thrown open. They misplaced and should settle for the duty for his or her miscalculations and study to plot higher subsequent time.

Many might not know however Wike and his group additionally fought for the PDP vice presidential ticket and once more misplaced. What this implies is that if Wike had been chosen as PDP vice presidential flagbearer, there wouldn’t be any speak about G5 governors combating for the south of Nigeria. The inconvenient reality stays: The group will not be combating for Southern Nigeria. Wike and co are combating the struggle for themselves.

They’ve to understand that there’s time for every thing: A time to struggle, and a time to retreat and reside to struggle one other day. Preventing to the dying is neither braveness nor knowledge. Wike was additionally quoted as saying that whoever the G5 governors help would win the presidential election. This will likely unlikely be the reality. For there are all the time realignments in politics, which may allow the PDP additional climate the shock of their exit in case they finally determine to pitch their tent with another presidential candidate apart from Atiku.

However there’s completely no cause for the camp to take action as doing so would quantity to political suicide. The sooner they return house the higher. No smart man cuts off his nostril to spite his face. However who will inform Wike and the gang this?

Mefor, a forensic/social psychologist, is a fellow of The Abuja College of Social and Political Thought and may be reached through 09130335723 or [email protected] He tweets @DrLawMefor

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