Poisonous politics: Wike can be a footnote in historical past

Nyesom Wike, the maverick governor of Rivers State, is a poisonous affect on Nigerian politics. Like all narcissists, he thrives on applause and adulation from sycophants and reward singers. His outsized presence in Nigerian politics is fuelled by the oxygen of publicity he continuously receives from the media even for his most childish behaviour.

Nonetheless, after subsequent month’s presidential election, regardless of the end result, and after he leaves workplace as governor on Might 29 and now not controls the sources of Rivers State, Wike would progressively fade into political irrelevance and finally find yourself within the “dustbin of historical past”. It might be a great riddance!

If these phrases are harsh, properly, it’s as a result of they need to be. Public life is simply too vital to be the property of narcissists, of self-aggrandising megalomaniac, who see all the pieces by the prism of self-promotion. Politics, democracy and the social gathering system that underpins them mustn’t ever be so personalised that any particular person is simply too highly effective and above social gathering self-discipline.

In a system the place solely events can maintain political energy, the power advert viability of political events issues massively. And nothing undermines the robustness of an electoral democracy like when a significant political social gathering descends into dysfunction, hijacked by self-indulgent rebels.

By forming a renegade ‘social gathering’, referred to as G5, inside a celebration, the Folks’s Democratic Celebration, PDP, and by working actively for the defeat of the social gathering’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in subsequent month’s election, Wike engages in extra-ordinary anti-party exercise and subverts the social gathering system that’s the basis of electoral democracy in Nigeria.

Even worse, he’s doing so not for any unimpeachable ethical precept however for pure self-interest and vindictiveness. The G5, consisting of the PDP’s 5 rogue governors, who behave like Wike’s bag-carriers and serfs, calls itself Integrity Group, nevertheless it completely lacks integrity.

Why? As a result of the actions of the G5 members contradict the ideas they declare to be combating for, ideas that give them such an ethical excessive floor that they really feel justified to go for the jugular, working single-mindedly to verify their supposed social gathering loses subsequent month’s presidential election. It’s unprecedented!

Unprecedented? What concerning the PDP’s G5 of 2015? Nicely, the G5 of 2015 labored in opposition to President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election, however they did so honourably. They left the PDP and joined the All Progressives Congress, APC, serving to Muhammadu Buhari to defeat Jonathan. However Wike’s G5 desires to remain within the PDP and marketing campaign in opposition to its presidential candidate.

Give it some thought. Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, a G5 member, who’s looking for re-election, is saying to Oyo State’s citizens: “Re-elect me, however don’t vote for my social gathering’s presidential candidate.” Equally, Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, additionally G5 members, who’re working for the Senate, are telling voters of their Senatorial Districts: “Elect me as PDP Senator, however don’t vote for my social gathering’s presidential candidate.” These three governors, in addition to Wike, who imposed the PDP gubernatorial candidates of their states would even be telling voters: “Vote for the PDP governorship candidate, however not for the PDP presidential candidate.”

The utter absurdity of those propositions is self-evident, as is the brazen breach of social gathering self-discipline. A political social gathering is meant to be a gathering of like-minded people. If a person is aggrieved, he can select to remain and combat throughout the social gathering or go away. However to remain in a celebration and overtly assist an opposition candidate is a no-no!

A current examine by the College of California discovered that Individuals could disagree with their very own social gathering however they received’t assist an opposing one. This performed out just lately within the US Congress. A core of 20 Republican members of Congress opposed Kevin McCarthy, a fellow Republican, as Speaker of the Home of Representatives. They rejected him in 14 rounds of voting. The Republicans have 222 members as in opposition to the Democrats’ 212.

Now, on condition that solely 218 votes are wanted to elect the Speaker, simply six Republicans might have voted for the Democrats’ candidate, Hakeem Jeffries, to turn out to be the Speaker. However none did. Regardless of their visceral opposition to McCarthy, not one of the 20 Republican rebels needed a Democrat as Speaker. Reasonably, after rejecting McCarthy in 14 rounds of voting, they elected him within the fifteenth spherical. Celebration self-discipline prevailed.

However Wike’s G5 wouldn’t solely vote in opposition to their social gathering’s presidential candidate, however they’re additionally asking Nigerians to reject him and vote for the candidate of one other social gathering. But, as I stated, they’re doing so with completely no integrity as a result of their actions contradict the ideas they’re purportedly defending.

Take the presidency. The G5 argues that on grounds of fairness, justice and equity, one other Northerner shouldn’t succeed President Buhari. Truthful sufficient. However if you happen to take these ideas to their logical conclusions, if energy returned to the South, the place ought to it go: South-West (eight years as president, eight as vice-president since 1999) or South-South (5 years as president, three as vice-president since 1999) or South-East (nil since 1999)? So, why did Wike, from South-South, wish to be PDP’s presidential candidate? Why didn’t he, on grounds of fairness, justice and equity, assist a candidate from the South-East?

Or take Governor Makinde. Lately, when Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, led South-West APC leaders to the Akure house of Pa Rueben Fasoranti, the Afenifere chief, to solicit his endorsement, Governor Makinde despatched his deputy to inform the group: “Though we don’t belong to the identical social gathering, we belong to the identical race. I’ll do what Yoruba elders say.” So, on grounds of ethnicity, Makinde favours Tinubu over his personal social gathering’s candidate.

Learn additionally: How I built 12 flyovers, also pumped N17bn to build Law School campus in PH – Wike

Certainly, Wike reportedly led different G5 members to fulfill Tinubu in London. They clearly want him to their very own social gathering’s candidate. However do they suppose Tinubu’s candidacy is defensible on grounds of fairness, justice and equity? Are they blind to his exclusionist Muslim-Muslim ticket and the ethnic and spiritual tensions his presidency would engender, to not point out his acute character and integrity deficits? They’re unpatriotic. They’re enemies of Nigeria!

Wike generally says that he has accepted Atiku as PDP’s presidential candidate and the Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his working mate, however that his actual anger is in opposition to Iyorchia Ayu, PDP’s nationwide chairman, who refuses to honour his vow to resign if a northerner emerged as PDP’s presidential candidate. But when Wike desires to undermine Atiku’s electoral probabilities due to Ayu’s unfulfilled vow, what about his personal vow? On the PDP’s presidential major election in Might final yr, Wike stated: “Let me vow right this moment. Anybody who emerges right here, I’ll assist the individual to the fullest.” To the fullest? What now?

There’s a powerful dose of Trumpism in Wike. In truth, he’s Nigeria’s mini-Trump. As US president, Donald Trump was a narcissist and a bully, who should have his manner. When he misplaced the presidential election in November 2020, he stoked and inspired violent assaults on Capitol Constructing in Washington. However now, out of energy, Trump is diminished. Within the current US Congressional elections, a lot of the candidates he sponsored misplaced. That’s what, ultimately, occurs to narcissists and bullies in politics.

For the reason that PDP presidential primaries, there have been two Wikes. One angrily sprouts grievances and proclaims his victimhood. The opposite sees politics as efficiency artwork and gives a rolling circus of political leisure. Nicely, there’s a 3rd: a preposterously puffed-up egoist, who’s so bitter and vengeful that he’s working day and evening in opposition to his personal social gathering’s presidential candidate. Regardless of the end result subsequent month, Wike is heading for the dustbin of historical past. His toxicity demeans politics!