By Umar Sani
After watching the recent media chat with Nyesom Wike and reading the earlier comments from both Bayo Onanuga and the reaction from Bolaji Abdullahi, one cannot ignore the desperation that has gripped the Presidency over the rise of the opposition coalition. The President’s recent visits to Benue, Kaduna, and Nasarawa, cloaked as working trips, provided platforms to attack the coalition, confirming the ruling party’s mounting anxiety. Bolaji Abdullahi’s sharp response exposed the fear now enveloping the APC.
What is most troubling, however, are the lies, half-truths, and historical distortions peddled by Wike. His attack on Sen. David Mark, a respected statesman, is particularly dishonest. To dismiss Mark’s relevance because a road to his hometown, Otukpo, was not constructed during his time as Senate President is both misleading and juvenile. Infrastructure projects of that nature fall under either state or federal executive responsibilities, not the legislature.
Wike’s claim that Mark’s daughter won an election under the APC is not a smear but a testament to Mark’s democratic spirit. Unlike others who demand blind loyalty, Mark embodies maturity in politics. His stellar career as a military governor, minister, member of the Armed Forces Ruling Council, and four-term senator contrasts sharply with Wike’s political evolution, which began in the shadow of others. His rise from local government chairman to COS, to Minister of State for Education, and yet to governor, was largely facilitated by political patronage rather than meritocratic consensus.
Sen. Mark’s Senate district remained a PDP stronghold even as the party faltered elsewhere in Benue. He voluntarily stepped aside to allow his associate, Abba Moro, to succeed him, demonstrating humility and selflessness. Mark has never chased scandals or clung to power. He did not lobby to become PDP chairman, unlike Wike’s repeated behind-the-scenes machinations.
Wike’s revisionist history about his emergence as governor also deserves rebuttal. He did not defeat Amaechi. In both elections that brought him to power, the APC was illegally excluded from the ballot, thanks to judicial interventions rather than political merit. That is not a victory; it is manipulation.
His comment on Emeka Ihedioha’s exit from PDP is equally disingenuous. Ihedioha left the party long before the Imo gubernatorial primaries. Wike funded Sam Daddy to block Ihedioha’s return and weaken the party’s chances against Hope Uzodinma. The Secretary issue came much later and was never the cause of Emeka’s exit.
Furthermore, Wike’s misrepresentation of Dele Momodu’s showing at the PDP presidential primaries is unfair. Momodu chose integrity over inducement, refusing to bribe delegates unlike Wike, who spent lavishly and still lost.
Even Wike’s claim that Atiku never won Yobe State is false. In the 2023 presidential election, Atiku scored 198,567 votes in Yobe, while Tinubu got 151,459, a clear victory.
Wike also skirted questions on the agreement between him and Gov. Fubara. His refusal to disclose its terms only fuels suspicion that it was crafted to undermine democratic norms in Rivers State. The lack of violence on the ground further invalidates the idea of a state of emergency. Rivers people will no longer be bullied or ruled through executive fiat and backroom deals.
Equally misleading is Wike’s denial of the accusation that the terms of the lopsided agreement demand executive fiat. The real allegation is that he shall handpick all those who will contest under the PDP and even influence APC candidates, thereby controlling the democratic space across party lines.
Finally, Wike’s effort to cast himself as a defender of democracy rings hollow. His track record reflects power-grabbing, intimidation, and political backstabbing. His public outbursts cannot erase the growing awareness among Nigerians of who truly undermines democracy and who is defending it.
. Sani is a former SSA Media to ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, and a former PDP campaign spokesman.
