As the October date for the rescheduled Rivers rerun poll is fast approaching, the ominous signals coming from certain politicians in the state leave much to be desired. The recent statement by the defeated All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2015 gubernatorial election in Rivers State, Dakuku Peterside, that the regime of Governor Nyesom Wike would end very soon represents such bad omen.
Peterside’s gaffe came a day after the Rivers APC East Zonal mega rally held in Okehi, Etche, ahead of the rescheduled Rivers rerun poll. Such daydreaming and grandstanding, common in Nigerian politics, can only emanate from a bad loser, who has vehemently refused to face the reality of being utterly defeated by a popular candidate and the choice of the people of Rivers State in the keenly contested governorship poll.
Such emotional outburst coming several months after the Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Wike as the governor of Rivers State, is in bad taste, reprehensible and unacceptable in a democratic setting. It is fantasy taken too, far. The verbiage coming ahead of the Rivers rerun poll, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said will hold in October, is suspect.
Such unguarded pronouncement is capable of overheating the Rivers State polity, which has witnessed peace, order and development since Governor Nyesom Wike assumed office.
Those conversant with the politics of the oil-rich Rivers State would not be surprised at Peterside’s latest umbrage on the people-oriented administration of hard-working Governor Nyesom Wike. Perhaps, the APC candidate, who is now the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), is still dazed by his electoral defeat.
Even in these days of much belief in the miraculous by many Nigerians, such bad wish cannot happen. It is not within the realms of reality. It is the stuff for good fiction. At best, it remains a speculation and mere wishful thinking of a bad loser.
Peterside had in the statement said that “I have a message for you all; the end has come. Rivers people cannot be deceived by lies and propaganda, no matter how well crafted. Which government has borrowed more money under one year than all previous governments from 1967 to date put together?
Which government withdrew nearly 400 undergraduates sent on scholarship abroad by ex-Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to different countries? Which government deceitfully wanted to take credit for projects conceived and delivered by the Amaechi’s government?”
Expectedly, Wike’s media team has swiftly dismissed Peterside’s verbal attacks and regards them as part of the APC propaganda, which the team pointed out, is no longer working. In the words of Wike’s Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakudu, these were part of the APC propaganda.
He pointed out that “the issue of insecurity, alleged violence and kidnapping were the issues they raised in their campaign rallies.” Also, the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to Peterside’s statement and said that the tenure of Governor Nyesom Wike is not under any threat of impeachment.
The State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Samuel Nwanosike, said that Governor Wike would serve his tenure. He affirmed that the people of the state would continue to support his administration. Nwanosike also explained that the State House of Assembly had majority of the PDP and wondered why Peterside would make such a statement.
According to Nwanosike, “Dakuku Peterside should know that the governor cannot be impeached because in the State House of Assembly, the PDP is in majority. The issue of the governor’s regime coming to an end cannot come up.”  He also said that “Governor Wike is using the resources at his disposal to develop the state and that is why he will continue to enjoy the support of the people. They can try as much as they can, they cannot do anything to Governor Wike.”
The APC delusion on Wike’s administration is made with malice. It is an indication that the APC in the state is indeed jittery. It does not reckon with the obvious fact that it can be defeated in an electoral contest.
Whether the Rivers APC likes it or not, the fact remains that the PDP won the Rivers State 2015 gubernatorial poll and majority of the State Assembly seats. The APC is a new party in the state. No doubt, Rivers State is naturally a PDP state.
If Peterside’s statement is meant to stoke fire in the forthcoming rerun, it has failed woefully. The Rivers State electorate is very much enlightened and would not succumb to such impotent and empty threat.
The APC should stop overheating the Rivers State polity. The party should play the political game according to the rules. The resort to blackmail, threats and underhand tactics will not serve it any useful purpose. In fact, the problem in the country now is how the APC central government will deliver on its numerous electoral promises as well as save the nation’s economy from recession.
The party should stop chasing shadows especially in those states it was utterly defeated in the last general elections and go ahead to fulfill its election promises. It should worry over the comatose economy, budget padding, lack of pragmatic economic policy and divisive tendencies in the polity.
Before the party came to power, a bag of rice was sold for N10,000 but now it sells for N23,000. In the same vein, a bag of cement was sold for N1,500 but now it sells for N2,300. Similarly, one US dollar exchanged for N220 but now it is N418. It is change in indeed.  The government promised, among other things, to end the insurgency, kill corruption, rescue the Chibok girls, create millions of jobs, rebuild the economy and road infrastructure. It also promises to fix the education sector, health and reunite the country.
One year after, these still remain within the realm of promises. The Niger Delta crisis is deepening instead of abating. These should worry Peterside and other APC chieftains from Rivers State and not how to uproot Wike’s focused and hard-working administration.
As NIMASA boss, Peterside’s mandate is to turn around the fortunes of that juicy government agency and never to wage war against his home state governor, Wike. If he is still interested in the gubernatorial race, he should wait for another election year to prove his mettle. Until then, the current melodrama is needless.
INEC should indeed ensure that the Rivers rerun is concluded in October to save the state the unnecessary political diatribes capable of causing breach of peace. Rivers should be spared of needless political violence. Our politicians should think less of their welfare and work for the general good of the people.

Related News