By Dare Adeleke
There comes a time when Providence itself withdraws privileges from certain individuals, when the cup is full and begins to overflow. It would appear that Nyesom Wike’s cup is not just full, but sloshing dangerously at the brim.
Wike, as I have said before, has outplayed his hand. The juggler will soon miss a ball, and the entire trick will collapse before an audience eagerly awaiting his disgrace. The question many now ask is simple: after Tinubu, where does Wike run to? The self-styled strongman of Rivers State has taken on more than he can chew in one lifetime, let alone within a single political tenure. Yet he struts about, impervious to his new sobriquet as “the most hated man in Nigeria today,” spreading himself dangerously thin, fighting battles on multiple fronts while leaving his flanks utterly exposed.
In Rivers State, he grapples absurdly for control of two political parties – the PDP and the APC. As unbelievable as it sounds, Wike remains the only politician in Nigeria’s history who openly claims allegiance to two political parties at once, and who has dishonourably continued to flaunt his vagabond – style betrayal. He believes himself above reproach, playing tin god, exhibiting an avaricious, gluttonous greed unparalleled among Nigerian politicians, dead or alive.
It is reprehensible that this foul character, Nyesom Wike, the prodigal son unceremoniously sacked from the PDP alongside his tottering cohorts, including Ayo Fayose; now has the temerity to attempt to overrule the National Convention of the party. A convention that not only expelled him and other lowly truants, but which he now seeks to undermine by staging a parallel gathering and conducting another so-called convention of his own.
It must be noted that Wike has openly boasted that he will deliver the PDP, much like Herod’s wife delivered the head of John the Baptist, to Tinubu. While the people of Rivers State have grown weary and disgusted with their rogue son, the PDP has spat him out like virused phlegm.
Nigerians already know who this garrulous nuisance is, and PDP members nationwide are advised to keep a wide berth from him. His tenure and indeed his political career are barely two years away from a total eclipse.
We must also warn the judiciary, some elements of which have been compromised by Tinubu’s errand boy, Wike, to desist from allowing themselves to be used as agents of anti-democracy.
It is noteworthy that the judgment against the Ibadan PDP National Convention and elections, as delivered by Justice Uche Agomoh, is not only incredulous but entirely irrelevant in its nullity.
The Supreme Court has consistently held that the internal affairs of political parties are not matters for judicial interference. Issues of party leadership, internal administration, and the management of party organs are, by law, domestic matters to be resolved internally. Courts are expected to remain within their constitutional boundaries and avoid plunging into political management under the pretext of judicial review.
Against this settled principle, the judgment in question raises serious concerns and will not be upheld by the PDP.
The ruling is not justiciable. Matters of party leadership, internal administration, and control of party organs remain internal party affairs. Courts have repeatedly affirmed that they must not descend into the political arena by managing or restructuring political parties. By intervening in this manner, the court crossed the clear line between legitimate judicial review and direct political interference—a line the Supreme Court has repeatedly warned must never be crossed.
We, the members of the PDP, once again warn Mr. Nyesom Wike—the political undertaker and bulldog of President Ahmed Tinubu—to desist from parading himself as a member of the PDP. He has no seat, no chair, and no standing at Wadata Plaza. Should he attempt further shenanigans, he will be pursued and ejected like the outcast that he is.
Nigeria’s democracy is not a playground for power-hungry Tinubu and his stray dogs, Wike and Fayose.
– By Dare Adeleke
Dare Adeleke is a founding member of the PDP. He writes from Ibadan.
