English comedian Charles Spencer Chaplin once compared himself to a politician when discussing his career and the level of respect people accord him.
Hear him say, “I still only remain one thing, and that is a clown. It elevates me above any politician by a huge margin.
One of the greatest artists of all time, Chaplain had fervent political beliefs that tended to favour the welfare of the populace. He made reference to the deceitful nature of many politicians, which leads them to make promises they do not intend to keep.
A politician makes a fool of themselves by trying to fool the public and creating a trust deficit, whereas a comedian makes jokes for a living and to make people happy. The renowned director discussed how political loyalty is defined by current circumstances and how a friend today can turn into an arch-enemy tomorrow. Indeed, politicians are a unique breed.
In Nigeria, this is especially true. People would assemble to laugh at the ridiculousness of some of those we call leaders if our politicians weren’t so rapacious and callous to turn the majority of citizens into the poorest of the poor in the world, taking the shine out of their lives.
For instance, on Tuesday, Mr. Nyesom Wike, the departing governor of Rivers State, made a state broadcast! Why? to announce Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the incoming president, will be visiting the state for two days. You can only imagine what Wike would do if Tinubu were elected president since we are discussing a man who has not yet taken the oath of office!
The broadcast, however, was not the last. When the governor declares a state of emergency on Wednesday, when Tinubu is expected, the situation becomes even more absurd.
Having declared a public holiday, all government buildings were closed. Perhaps it would have been acceptable if he had stopped there, but Wike prevented shop owners from opening in some areas of the state because he views Tinubu’s first trip as the winner of the presidential election as a badge of honour for his state. And just how is that? Would the President-elect’s visit provide food for the thousands of people whose wayward action on Wednesday would make it impossible for them to make a living? Isn’t this an illustration of the impunity that has permeated Nigerian politics?
You wonder how much the governor considered when making decisions like shutting down the state and if he actually sought advice from other branches of the government. Justice would be delayed or denied for many state residents due to the holiday he declared on Wednesday. Numerous defendants or accused parties who should have been in court would have been deprived of the chance to present their cases because the courts wouldn’t open. That does not take into account the state’s forced reduction in working hours, the number of schools that will be closed, or the numerous other ways the state would lose resources. It is beyond reckless executive action for a governor to sacrifice social, economic, educational, and other endeavours in order to appear favourable to the president-elect.
However, Wike’s actions are not as significant as his intentions. One of those who witnessed the governor’s anguish over how the Peoples Democratic Party treated him after he lost the presidential primary in May of last year included yourself.
When everyone, including Atiku and former presidents elected on the PDP platform, left the party after the 2015 elections, Wike and former governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State remained the only voices that spoke for and kept the party together, according to my article “Atiku, not Wike, is the problem,” which was published on August 18, 2022. That ought to mean something. Wike doesn’t currently have a significant stake in the PDP, though. A president retains control of the whip and can use it as he sees fit on anyone, whether they have erred in the past or are simply thinking about it, even if he reconciles with Atiku and the latter wins the election. There are no assurances that Wike will be relevant in the PDP after the election, especially considering how little the standard bearer valued him before the vote.
Despite the fact that the governor and his allies based their disagreement with the PDP establishment on the leadership’s North-heavy makeup, those with the ability to discern saw through this smokescreen. They were aware that Wike was battling more for his own survival. The politician is looking for another paradise after peeing in the PDP’s hell kitchen.
Wike has adopted Niccol Machiavelli’s totalitarian strategy of “the end justifies the means” in his struggle for survival. He is unconcerned with the costs to the residents of the state he is governor of.
As he framed the situation, the Rivers governor would currently be on a PDP reconciliation mission if this were not being done to protect enlightened self-interests but rather out of consideration for southern Nigeria. This is true because Nigeria has never needed a more active opposition party than it does right now. Therefore, Wike should cooperate with other party members to restart the PDP since Iyorcha Ayu, the man he wanted to leave the party, had already resigned. The people of Nigeria should feel secure knowing that the crucial task of holding the incoming All Progressives Congress administration accountable would be effectively checked by a powerful force. Sadly, the leading advocate for inclusivity from yesterday is now sleeping with a Muslim president-elect whose deputy is also Muslim.
And this is not meant to support our leaders’ propensity to uphold these fundamental principles. Any kind of dichotomy should be avoided at all costs as our nation develops. And those who use their positions to incite Nigerians against one another will suffer in the eyes of history. But how can someone who notices regional injustice fail to notice religious injustice?
The answer is that this is Nigeria, where morality is irrelevant and government is a business. Nobody in politics wants to be removed from office and left to fend for themselves. They still rely on politics for their livelihood, and it’s the only way to prevent them from becoming political fodder in the hands of allies they’ve made in high places.
Wike’s first step towards gaining a place in the new king’s court is to invite Tinubu to Port Harcourt. It serves as protection from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s ominous eyes. It will stop the public from querying the governor’s recent appropriation of state funds to ill-conceived projects at the whim and how he has come to control the entire state.
Having Tinubu inaugurate projects and shut down the state would, in the opinion of a man who has reduced development to building flyovers, bridges, and other things while the human resource in the state is wallowing in poverty, put him in good stead for patronage. Nevertheless, the latter is a member of the same political party that he disparaged before splitting with it.
All things considered, Wike’s political actions and future would be meaningless if he did not violate people’s rights for political gain. It remains to be seen how much he succeeds in the game he is playing with a political cynic like Tinubu.
