The embattled junior Minister for Education and the self-appointed
leader of the PDP in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike over the weekend
played host to the National Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh.
Inside sources say the Minister who is currently battling forces against
his ambition to succeed Gov. Amaechi is considering the option of
moving to APGA. This move may not be unconnected with rumours that the
Party hierarchy has asked him to drop his ambition.
It was gathered that Wike who mainly depends on the support of the First
Lady is leaving no chances to actualize his dream of occupying the
Brick House in 2015. Though he is facing a stiff opposition from the
Riverine people of the state and beyond, he has already secured a Court
Order restraining the PDP from dissolving the state exco led by Felix
Obuah.
He single-handedly has financed the Party since the exit of the governor
from the party. Recently, the Local Government Exco of the party were
sponsored on a trip to Brazil to watch the World Cup while members of
the State Exco left for a two-week trip to Dubai for what they termed
‘Capacity Building’.
Unfortunately, the major chieftains of the PDP in the state have been
cowed by Wike who has used his position as Minister for Education to
award juicy contracts to them. Most of them are scrambling for the
wealth of the man who considers himself the only force able to contend
with Gov. Amaechi come 2015.
The Riverine people of the state opposed to him have only found a voice
in Elemchukwu Ogbowu who is partly Kalabari and partly Ogba. Ogbowu is
said to be working closely with Bekinbo Dagogo-Jack, who is from
Kalabari, a Riverine ethnic group who are yet to take a shot at the seat
of power alongside the Ogonis, who are Upland.
Beks as he is fondly called is said to be very close to President
Goodluck Jonathan as he is the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on
Power and a member of the Nigeria Economic Summit. It was gathered that
Beks is being supported by most of the members of the inner caucus of
the President including Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who financial war chest is
unparalleled.
The arch rival to Wike within the PDP is not a green horn in the politics of the state as he has been a Commissioner twice.
Though the President is not likely to publicly declare his support for
his kinsman, Bekinbo, his body language within the corridors of power
suggest that he would prefer to have someone not so ambitious or crazy
for power as governor of Rivers state to avoid any banana peels in
future as he is currently facing with his soured relationship with Gov.
Amaechi.
However, the details of the meeting between Wike and Victor Umeh is
still sketchy, but there are indications that the meeting was timely
more so with the presence of the First Lady last week in Port Harcourt.
Wike is said to be exploring other options in case he is unable to make
it under the PDP. The choice of APGA may be because the party is working
for the re-election of the President while fielding candidates for
other elective position. This may be his Plan B to run under APGA and if
he wins as he is certain to win, he would later return to PDP.
The meeting with Umeh follows the one between Wike and Bekinbo which was
said to be brokered by Austin Opara, Wike’s kinsman and former Deputy
Speaker of the House of Representatives. The two men agreed to work for
the success of President Jonathan’s re-election bid. A close ally of
Wike also confirmed that though he has disbursed money to the 23 LGAs
for his campaign offices, but he is likely to hand over the structure to
Bekinbo if he emerges as the preferred choice.
According to inside report, Wike does not want his supporters to believe
that he does not have the support of the President and the Party
hierarchy.
Those opposed to his ambition say that the decision to have an Ikwerre
man succeed an Ikwerre man may give Amaechi’s APC a comfortable win if
he decides to field a Kalabari/ Ogoni ticket or an Andoni/Ikwerre
ticket.
Besides, some of those from his Senatorial zone who are also ambitious
like Austin Opara, George Sekibo and Abiye Sekibo feel that Wike’s
governorship ambition may mar their chances to aspire to higher
positions because of the principle of zoning and rotation. On the
outward they are seen to be working with him but secretly working to
stop him at all cost.
If the Muazu-led PDP goes on with its plan to stop Wike, then APGA may be his next stopping point.
President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria Ibinabo Fiberesima at an event to mark one year in office of the Lagos chapter chairman Victor Osuagwu, announced that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has given the association a piece of land which they had requested from him.
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