Gov Wike battles to keep Rivers PDP ‘cancer-free’

Preamble:

When Godswill Akpabio joked with Gov Nyesom Wike to consider joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governor said he would not leave his party where there is mere malaria to join a party where there is cancer. This means that Gov Wike will do anything to keep his party cancer-free. It seems that of late, because of governorship tussle, cancer tried to creep into the party.

Fighting off cancer:

Between middle of April 2022 and end of May, Gov Nyesom Wike who has held the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State with firm grip has battled to keep the state’s ruling party cancer-free.
Between then and now, the governor has guided the party within a very treacherous and slippery moment of party primaries when persons show red eyes in trying to be picked to be next governor, senators, House of Representatives members, House of Assembly members, etc. It seems to be the moment of long knives when friends and foes look alike in the jungle.

Yet, the strong man of Nigerian politics at the moment has waded through silent storms to see the party through the guber primaries and other primaries without any decamping despite some grimacing and dim faces.

The governor has also seen through the emergence of a man nobody seemed to know much as his likely successor (PDP guber candidate), Opobo-born Siminialayi Fubara, until the primaries the Accountant-General of the state. Fubara was the cashier of the Government House until accelerated promotions launched him to the topmost post in his career, from where luck has fallen on him.

Gov Wike has also seen through the dissolution of his cabinet (State Executive Council) along with his highly influential Chief of Staff and another top special assistant. These actions shocked the entire state and his own party. Nobody has come up with the reason for the sudden dissolution but many rather point to what say said was shouting away of the Chief of Staff and Exco members who came to throw a birthday bash for the governor’s wife.

Probably with the Cabinet off his back, Wike focused on two major fronts: his presidential ambition and the governorship primaries where his choice was to prevail. None was easy as treachery was everywhere in the nation.

Gov Wike had always presented the image of a strong leader who could deliver anything and loyalty box to the PDP. When the party lost the presidential election in 2015, Wike it was as the new governor of Rivers State that brought all the bigwigs in the party to Port Harcourt on a consolidation summit. This helped to rebuild the morale of the party and prepare the members on how to be a thorn in the flesh of the new ruling APC.

Wike also helped the party to win many court cases to gain foothold in many ways. He continued to help the party gain solidarity in the south-south and south-east, too. It is said that he has been a major financier of the party too.

Choosing his successor is said to have been very difficult, requiring him to at some points shout his loyalists. Many of his inner caucus had in the past two years positioned themselves into his view to pick.

The likes of Austin Opara (port Harcourt) had been touted n what was rumoured as plot for another Ikwerre man to take over. Wike helped to fuel this speculation by saying the state had gone beyond ethnicity meaning any person from any ethnic area can be governor. He repeatedly said there was nothing again like upland and riverine Rivers State. This seemed to send jitters to the riverine people especially the Kalabari.

Next, many began to see him tilt to some persons in the riverine areas. At a point, those watching his moves said he went blank.

When his loyalists began to grumble, the governor barked, saying: “Attention of the Government of Rivers State Government has been drawn to threats by some persons and groups to unleash mayhem in the State.

“These threats are coming on the heels of arrest of some cultists involved in the unlawful disruption of PDP screening exercise of aspirants vying for state and federal legislative seats in the 2023 general election.”

Farah Dagogo’s challenge

At last the personality burst into the open. Inside sources said the governor summoned all top persons one day and told them he had made up his mind and that anybody who did not like it should come and challenge him.

Few persons seemed to dare and seem to get it very hot now. One of them is Farah Dagogo.

Wike had bought all the forms and called the loyalists to come take one each. By this, only one form would go to one person to contest for governor, and so for each elective position. Many did not like it.

Dagogo was one of them. Soon, youths demonstrated against lack of forms to buy. Abuja PDP asked persons to come to Abuja and buy forms. Those who went seemed to incur the wrath of the governor.

The likes of his long ally, Felix Obuah (former chairman of the party in the state) bought forms too and pressed on. At last, at the last minute, they wore long faces but kept mute.

Soon, trouble erupted. Wike said Farah Dagogo had caused violent troubles. He acted swiftly and declared Dagogo wanted on April 27, 2022.

A statement from Government House said the governor declared Farah Dagogo wanted for hiring cultists to attack the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt.

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The governor thus directed the Rivers State Police Command to arrest Dagogo for hiring cultists who allegedly stormed the PDP secretariat in Port Harcourt, and disrupted the screening of aspirants for various elective positions. “The Police must as a matter of urgency arrest Farah Dagogo, wherever he is, and must be made to face prosecution.”

The governor said the hoodlums allegedly hired by Dagogo had been arrested and would be made to face the full wrath of the law, according to Kelvin Ebiri, the Special Assistant on Media to the Governor of Rivers State.

The next day, Farah Dagogo, a lawmaker at the Federal House, responded, saying the real reason Gov Wike declared him wanted was to prevent him from attending screening for the governorship seat in Rivers that day.

Dagogo, like Wike, is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and represents Bonny-Degema federal Constituency.

In a statement by his Dagogo’s SA Media and publicity, Ibrahim Lawal, Dagogo vehemently denied Wike’s allegation, linking him with cultists.

Wike accused him of organizing cultists to disrupt the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) screening of National and State Assembly aspirants.

Dagogo described the accusation as illogical, as he is not contesting National or state Assembly seat and was not even near the venue of the screening in Port Harcourt.

The next two days, the police arrested the governorship aspirant. The lawmaker was arrested by a team of police officers at about 6:30pm on the day when he went for his screening at the south-south zonal office of the PDP in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Dagogo’s camp said, “The directive for the arrest of Honourable Dagogo violates the spirits of Section 14 and 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

“The Inspector-General of Police should direct the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, not to heed the directive of the governor in this circumstance.

“If the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State, considers it incumbent to invite Honourable Farah Dagogo, he is willing to make himself available on the receipt of an official invite from the police after tomorrow (Thursday’s) screening, not before.”

Ijaw groups reacted and barked. According to Ebilade Ekerefe, the decision by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to declare Dagogo wanted was viewed as using security and the paraphernalia of government at his disposal to intimidate those who are not in his good political books and keep them out of circulation during this period.

IYC will want to state it categorically clear that Farah Dogogo is a respected leader in Ijaw land who was at the forefront of the liberation movement of the Niger Delta people before the advent of presidential amnesty programme which has brought peace to the region that Governor Wike is enjoying today.

That Farah Dogogo is a federal lawmaker who has used his position to deepen the peace and stability in the Niger Delta region and therefore his rights and privileges should be respected rather than being treated like a common criminal simply because he has indicated interest to run for the governorship of Rivers state against the wishes of Governor Wike.

That Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide will not fold its arms and watch any Ijaw man in any part of the world be intimidated and suppressed, not even to Farah Dagogo by the governor of Rivers state.

That Farah Dagogo should be allowed to submit himself for the governorship screening exercise and should not be harassed by any security agency as he has agreed to honor any invitation by the Commissioner of Police if done properly to enable him defend whatever allegation leveled against him by the governor of Rivers state.

That Wike should realize that his becoming governor today is as a result of sacrifices of Ijaw youths in Abonema who resisted injustice, intimidation, and oppression by the federal government during his second term elections when others were afraid to confront the federal might, and wonder why others will suffer similar fate simply because he perceived them as his political opponents.

This is totally unacceptable and we are calling on the security agencies in Rivers state to carry out their duties professionally as any attempt to intimidate Farah Dogogo and any other Ijaw son by the Rivers State government at a time the Ijaw nation is clamoring for a riverine governor will be resisted.

The police ended up arresting Farah Dagogo and keeping him in prison since April ending. All efforts to secure bail have failed. The primaries have come and gone without him.

Other grumbling persons seem to read the handwriting on the wall and put their tails between their legs.

Wike has done his presidential primaries and back. He has done the state primaries and had his way as Sim Fubara, his choice, got 721 votes while others got peanuts.

Conclusion:

Those not happy only seem to brood. There is silence everywhere. It can only mean they have surrendered or they are nursing a secret mutiny. Time, alone, will tell.