War Without End in Rivers

Every  political feud has its own cacophony,an
atmosphere that sets it apart.There is no place in Nigeria right now that the bad and ugly sides of our politics are in full display as it is in Rivers State.In the past two years or more,the power struggle in that oil rich state is no less than war.

Uncommon violence is always unleashed.Rivers State has been like a theater of war.Thousands of lives have been lost, property destroyed.And no end in sight yet,perhaps because, in politics, no less than war, the lessons of the previous conflict is often priced beyond the application to the one at hand.
In short, the organisational dynamics of the political crises in Rivers State reminds one of a phenomenon in psychology known as folie a deux,in which strong, overbearing personalities(call them warlords) have been able to make others living under the same premises accept their own delusional systems.And the rest of the people, called them, folie a plus,  appear to have submitted themselves to the ideas and authorities of the warring leaders.     This is how two old pals,now sworn enemies,former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and sitting (?) Governor, Nyesom Wike, have been spraying aggression like smallpox.And now,Rivers people see the on stormy waters.Every opportunity is seen by the gladiators as a test of strength.In this intense power struggle, none of them seems to have had the upper hand in real terms.

Taken together,it’s not unkind to say that from the very moment Dr. Goodluck Jonathan lost his reelection bid in March,that was the time the stars of Wike began to dim,and perhaps that was when his present travails began.It’s therefore safe to say that from that painful moment when Jonathan lost the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari,that was when Wike became,in political terms,an “illegitimate son”,a naked and vulnerable man with neither presidential covering or
protection.

What Wike became thereafter, in the reckoning of many,especially the state All Progressives Congress,”a pretender to the throne”,an “illegal ursper” to the governorship of Rivers State. On the other hand,had Jonathan been re-elected,Amaechi would have either been in jail by now,or in exile.
I think he knows it.He acknowledged that much after Buhari was declared winner of the presidential election.

That’s why last Saturday’s nullification of the election that produced Wike as governor by the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja,became a matter of two separate “thanksgiving Services” in two different Churches on Sunday by the two opposing parties.

Watching the supporters of the two parties(APC,PDP)flex muscles,and dragging God’s name into politics of Rivers state,who says our pollitics is not a fun to follow?   The judgment of the Tribunal,as
well as Amaechi and Wike’s comments on the verdict make interesting reading.It reflects the mood of euphoria when you win, and an atmosphere of discontent when an incumbent sees power slipping away from from hands.    

 The description of the April 11 governorship election in Rivers state as a “mockery of democracy” by the three-man panel headed by Justice Suleiman Ambrosa,was like a sledgehammer on Wike and the PDP in River state.They are still sulking,yet to come to terms with the grim realities.That’s where Jonathan’s defeats still hurts the PDP in Rivers,and Wike in particular.

The tribunal had cited substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the conduct of the poll,vote rigging,violence and other irregularities for voiding the April 11 poll.In that regard,the tribunal said that Wike was wrongly declared winner.It also noted that the witnesses called by the respondents (Wike and PDP) were “unreliable” during cross-examination.Accordingly, the tribunal ordered fresh poll within 90 days.    Expectedly, the PDP, immediately dismissed the judgment as “immoral”.Governor Wike insists he remains governor,and will appeal up to the Supreme Court.

Interestingly,and in spite of the verdict, Wike remains unfazed.He continues to hold before himself the image of a daring cowboy, the man with the capacity to outrun the wild herd and still get pyrrhic victory in the end. Could Wike’s defiance that “I remain governor”,a definition of manly courage or mere braggadaccio? The governor has boasted to supporters that stormed the Port Harcourt airport to welcome him from Abuja on Saturday that the tribunal’s verdict was not God’s,but a “gang-up” against Rivers State.”Let nobody panic”,he assures,saying as far as he was concerned,”the law is on our side and the facts are on our side”.   In the same vein,what’s point is Amaechi trying to prove by invoking  God’s name ,when he said at his own “thanksgiving service on Sunday,”what has been happening is not new for those who know me.You can pay all the money you want to pay but if God says it is not your turn, it’s not your turn”. Amaechi had survived a tough ministerial screening last Thursday, contrary to the prediction of his adversaries.

If Wike is now in a bind, he refuses to show it.For a man who has bragged so much on how he would make Amaechi pay the price of alleged corruption, it would be impossible to quit. That will be suicidal and a capitulation in ignominy. But as far as Amaechi’s camp is concerned, Wike is in a bind, in a round box of sorts,and it might be impossible for him to stay long in that office.

But,who knows? Is Amaechi God? That’s why Rivers politics is like the Russian roulette,a dangerous game of rough-and-tumble.Never bet on a winner until the Supreme gives the final victory, possibly early next year.While we wait,for the next verdict by Appeal Court,this much is certain:The circumstances of the public mood demands that we fix our gaze on Rivers State for its politics and personalities will continue to rivet our collective attention.