THROWBACK: ‘Sycophancy’—What Wike Said When Tinubu Promised To ‘Continue Buhari’s Legacy’ During Presidential Campaign

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu shared portfolios to his Ministers following their clearance by the Senate. One Minister who made the Ministerial list is a former Governor of River State, Nyesom Wike.

The inclusion of Wike on the Ministerial list came as a surprise to many because the former governor has, since the creation of the Peoples Democratic Party in 1999, remain a ‘party man.” To show how influential he is in the party, Wike even attempted to fly the flag of the PDP at the 2023 general election but failed to secure the ticket during the presidential primaries. The ticket was won by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after much politicking, which led to a crack in the party. This made Wike to work against the PDP by ensuring that the party never won the Presidential election in River State. His anger with PDP was that power was never zoned to the South unlike the APC that zoned the ticket to the South.

With the crack in PDP, Wike became the new bride of the APC as many of the governors under the APC made underground moves to woo him into their party. This eventually paid off as Tinubu polled a total of 231,591 votes in Rivers State as against Labour Party’s Peter Obi 175,071 votes. Atiku scored 88,468, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria’s People Party scored 1,322 votes.

Wike was compensated with an appointment as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by Tinubu, making it the first time a southerner would be appointed into such position in 47 years.

But prior to his appointment, Wike has been one of the politician that criticized APC the most. He once described the party as one suffering from cancer.

Wike had in 2021 described governors and others defecting from the Peoples’ Democratic Party to join the ruling All Progressives Congress as treacherous.

Wike had during the flag-off of Woji-Aleto-Alesa-Refinery Road and bridge with spur to the East-West Road at Woji town accused the APC led government of coercing PDP governors and members to join the ruling party.

He said, “People who could not win an ordinary election. The party used technicality and went to court and got victory. Now, they say they are leaving the party. Hopeless, shameless human beings. People who have no conscience.

“Bring everything you have against me; I will not join you. Rivers State will not join you. Even if it is the only Rivers State in this country, we will continue to be the People’s Democratic Party.”

In another event, Wike had attacked Tinubu who was the Presidential Candidate of the APC when he said during one of his campaigns that he will continue where Buhari stopped.

Tinubu had while speaking at the APC Presidential rally in Imo State described Buhari’s eight-year reign as a retooling process of the economy battered by the PDP’s 16-year rule.

“Mr. President and other members of the administration, may I state the following, if elected, I will give due honour to your efforts and your legacy.

“I will work in the spirit of further unity, a national purpose that informed the creation of our party that characterised the work of your government.

But Wike who was Governor of Rivers at the time had described the statement by Tinubu as the height of sycophancy.

He had said, “I heard people declaring for APC saying that they want to continue the good job of Mr President (Buhari). Is it the good job of people dying everyday? Is it the good job of naira falling everyday? I feel so ashamed that we have gotten to the level of sycophancy. Where people will come and say they want to continue the good job of Buhari.

“What is the good job of Buhari? Is hunger the good job? Is poverty and insecurity the good job? Or the economy falling the good job? Its such a shameful thing. I can’t believe that someone will come out in today Nigeria and say I want to continue where Buhari has stopped.”