What Are APC Governors Doing with Wike?

POLITICAL NOTES

A visit by three governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) – Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) – to the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has emerged one of the topical issues currently dominating the social space. And the question that followed was, what were they doing with Wike?

A few days ago, there was rumour that Wike and the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, were scheduled to meet in France. But the two parties were quick to deny any such thing and it ended there. But the APC governors were finally in Rivers for a special assignment.

Let’s play the Devil’s Advocate for starters. Maybe the southern governors were planning to meet to review their initial understanding on southern presidency and in doing this, Wike, one of arrowheads of that advocacy, who incidentally has been unhappy with his party, must be reached to talk about this again. Just maybe.

But that’s a lie. The governors have only made an effort to bring Wike to their fold or strike a deal with him, courtesy their newest but unstable convert and former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose. However, what’s the sense in their move? Number one, Wike is not an asset in the real sense of it. A disruptive fellow, who must have everything his way can never be an asset. 

Number two, Wike has been angry, because he came second during his party’s primaries, and has refused to even support his party’s candidate, hence, the activities around him. But in their own party, the person, who came second and incidentally from Rivers, has not only supported his party’s candidate, but collapsed his structure for him. Thus, aside the existential rivalry between Wike and Rotimi Amaechi, a former Minister of Transport, why expressly disrespect their own person? Can anyone of them condone such?

So, if they lured Wke to APC now, are they going to make him Amaechi’s leader since he is a sitting governor? Where is their loyalty, really? Have they thought about this whole thing before venturing? What informed this poor choice? Perhaps, it was not properly well thought out. No doubt, the APC governors can do better, because this is not looking tidy and from many sides.