Governor Wike may be boisterous, haughty, and annoyingly loquacious but one thing we cannot deny of him is that he has done fantastically well in the area of road infrastructure and security. Notwithstanding the dwindling revenues accruing to all states of the federation, the Rivers State governor has not done badly.
However, one area Governor Wike seems to be overrating himself is in his calculation of what he can do in the coming 2023 presidential election. Wike appears to be overrating his self-importance in determining who becomes the next president of Nigeria. He thinks the over 4 million registered voters in Rivers are at his beck and call.
Having lost out in the high-wire politics of PDP, Governor Wike appears too unwilling to work for an Atiku’s presidency, especially as he was snubbed for the VP seat. He is therefore like a free agent looking for who or what party to pitch his tent with. This is unfortunately where his problem comes from.
Since 1999 till date, Rivers State has remained unquestioningly loyal to the PDP. Incidentally, that’s about to change, irrespective of where Wike goes. As it stands, Governor Wike can only go as far as determining the next PDP governor of the state, he cannot go beyond that. He cannot and does not have what it takes to convince the people of Rivers to vote for a particular party or person for president in 2023.
It’s therefore a waste of time and effort by the APC or PDP to court Governor Wike for the presidency. The most he can do for Tinubu is to further hurt the chances of Atiku’s PDP but not to determine the overall outcome of the votes from his state. In fact, against his own will, Rivers State is likely going to post the highest number of presidential votes for Peter Obi’s Labour Party presidential bid.
In conclusion, whoever is courting the support of Governor Wike is only doing so for his money and media coverage, not necessarily the millions of voters he will guarantee. If anything, Wike is simply working to secure a place in Tinubu’s presidency if it materializes. This is the stark reality of Rivers State politics in the coming presidential election.
CREDIT: Facebook / Uzogara Tobechukwu
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