OPINION: Wike Bossing PDP, Making Mockery Of Party Rules

There was no other trending news on September 3, 2022, that displaced the expulsion of Prince Dotun Babayemi from the Osun state chapter of the PDP over antiparty activities.

That was not all; Deputy Governor Engineer Rauf Olaniyan was suspended, impeached and expelled from the party in Oyo state.

In the Southsouth region, specifically, Rivers State, the governor has repeatedly made a mockery of the party law with zero consequence. 

For someone not vying for any political seat in the forthcoming election, one would have expected Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to take a break from the spotlight.

In contrast, the two-term governor has been in the news in the last few weeks more in his entire political career.

For political observers, it is good to have someone to lighten up the political terrain. But in the PDP, they would do anything constitutionally possible to deaden Wike's wrongdoings.

But as things stand now, they have not found any.

What did Governor Wike do?

Even members of opposition parties are stunned by the stout recalcitrance the former minister of education has shown since he lost the party's presidential ticket to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Though he is not the only party chieftain unhappy with the party's leadership, it is on record that other governors elected under the platform of the party from the south are also displeased.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Edo's Godwin Obaseki, and Benue's Samuel Ortom, among others, are also disappointed that Senator Iyiorcha Ayu has remained the chairman of the party.

Governor Wike has not only acted as the unofficial spokesperson of the aggrieved members of the PDP but also taken the fight to the level of endorsing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for a second term in office despite coming from the opposition party, the APC. 

On more than one occasion, he rebuked the integrity of the party chairman, presidential candidate, the leadership of the party and some party stakeholders. What more could he do?

What has the PDP done?

In the graveyard, the dead are not always as silent as the Peoples Democratic Party has been.

This metaphor is undoubtedly an understatement compared to what we have seen from the party since Wike began his political escapades. 

The list of those who have committed lesser crimes but have been spanked by the party is endless.

If Wike was not a boss more prominent than the party, why haven't we seen a sanction on him up till the time of writing this article? 

Wike threatens the PDP

Wike during a live media parley with journalists aired on four different television stations dared the PDP to suspend him and nothing was done. 

A party whose success does not solely depend on the Rivers State governor would have pulled its plug on him.

As we advance 

It does not look like the Peoples Democratic Party is cooking anything against Governor Wike. This could be dangerous for the party but favourable to Wike.

The party's presidential campaign is yet to kick off in the south-south as expected despite being the base of its vice president. 

Other party members will tread a similar path in the future if Governor Nyesom Wike is not curbed. The party chieftain will always remain a reference point for any erring party members. 

What it means to the APC

While raining, the sun would always be resting. The PDP is licking their wounds while the APC is licking their sweets. 

The All Progressives Congress is the winner in the Wike-PDP entanglement

If the PDP is not careful, the APC would not only cash out on the Wiki saga but also be the resting place for other members in the future who would go antipathy like Wike and not get the babysitting he is enjoying at the moment. 

The fact

If the PDP fails to take decisive action on Governor Nyesom Wike, it will only prove that the party at the moment needs him more than he needs them for victory come 2023.

 

Written by Yusuf Adua