By Emeka Amaefula
HOW GOV. NYESOM WIKE BUILT POLITICAL CULT FOLLOWERSHIP ACROSS RIVERS STATE & NIGERIA
The story of how the Rivers state governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike built his political structure began immediately he was voted in as executive Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State and his subsequent second term in office as Chairman of his LGA where he first all empowered the youths from the LGA with employment such as revenue drive of different types including purchase of Car Stickers around the LGA. Business Operation Permit revenue also was contracted to empower his people. The Motor Parks in the LGA were handed over to his people to generate internal revenue. The Local Government Council is Landlord to several multinational Oil Companies in Nigeria where the internally generated Revenue coming from such IOC he handed over to his people. With the above internal political structure he knows who is who in each Polling Unit and at every political ward in his Local Government Council.
And when he emerged as Deputy National Chairman of Association of Local Government Councils of Nigeria, ALGON, he took over the entire political landscape in Rivers state and most of the 774 LGAs in Nigeria thereby forming positive alliance with other grassroot politicians across the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
The Rivers state Governor is a smart politician who never relegate responsibilities to others while he looks elsewhere but he takes every responsibility seriously even when in 2006 he aligned with the then Speaker of Rivers state House of Assembly Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to challenge Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in securing his stolen political mandate as Governorship candidate of PDP in Rivers state with a legal tussle that began in February 2007 and ended on 25th of October, 2007 in favour of Rt. Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi being declared the duly elected Governor of Rivers state in the April 2007 Governorship election. While this struggle was on Nyesom Ezenwo Wike emerged leader of a Political pressure group known as Rivers state Solidarity Movement-RSM. They remained together in the legal battle that ousted the Celestine Omehia led 5-months interim usurper administration in Rivers state.
Thereafter when he became Chief of Staff to governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi he carried too much political power more than the Governor as there was no decision by that administration that took place without his eagle eyes scanning through such government deals. While the Governor was busy attending to administrative matters Nyesom Ezenwo Wike was busy arranging the Business side of the administration until he allegedly ran into trouble over movement of several billions of naira which attracted the Economic and Financial Crime Commission-EFCC. Most of the decisions affecting the award of contracts and several other largesse of political patronage never took place without his nodding of head to his boss until during the second term electioneering campaign for re-election of the then Governor Amaechi of which he was the Director General in 2011, he succeeded in getting a second term mandate for his boss as a result of his political sagacity in having built political structure across the 23 LGAs in Rivers State. By 2012, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike was appointed as a Minister of State Federal Ministry of Education. Here he also built a super political structure across Nigeria having been in charge of Primary education and tertiary educational supervision. The construction of Almajiris Primary schools across the 36-states plus Federal Capital Territory FCT Abuja was under his assigned roles. Here he empowered a lot of his Political followers not only in Rivers state but across Nigeria. It’s even said that when his superior Professor Riqu’ atu left e Federal Ministry of Education, he constructed a duplex at her village as gift.
In 2013, he nursed the Governorship aspiration he outsmart late Chief Godspower Umejuru Ake, the then State Chairman of PDP during the state Congress election held in 2012 at Port Harcourt where Nyesom Ezenwo Wike supported Brother Felix Obuah who went to Court until Supreme Court judgment that affirmed Brother Felix Obuah as PDP Rivers State Chairman.
He quickly formed Grassroots Development Initiatives- GDI with structures allover the 319 electoral Wards in the 23-LGAs. In 2014 he and other PDP stakeholders succeeded in making the incumbent Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to defect to All Progressives Congress APC. He launched GDI in the 23- LGAs of Rivers State as each weekend he was readily available at the political pressure group establishment processes in the grassroots.
By December 2014 he resigned as Supervisory Minister of Education. GOV. Wike maintained his Political structure with support from former Minister of Industries and Investment, Chief Kenneth Kobana and Barrister Tammy W. Danagogo the then Minister of Sports. The two Ministers combined to purchase Expression of Interest and Intent Forms.
When he was Elected and sworn in as Executive Governor of Rivers State on May 29th, 2015 he appointed Kenneth Kobana as Secretary-To- State Government–SSG and later in his second term he appointed Barrister Tammy W Danagogo PhD as SSG until when he resigned to contest for Governorship primary election under PDP in Rivers state.
—Emeka Amaefula–+234(0)8111813069
