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Election Is Here And Wike Is Still Silent

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The Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, is one of the Nigerian politicians that should get an honorary degree in Theatre Arts. A word many would ascribe to him is “drama,” and in the days leading up to the 2023 elections, this has proved very true.

Wike was one of the presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but lost to Atiku Abubakar in the primaries. However, Wike hasn’t taken this defeat lying down. Instead, he has sabotaged PDP’s presidential campaign in every way he can.

Asides from leading a rebellion against the PDP leadership with his aso-ebi boys, the G-5 governors consisting of Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State); he also cancelled Atiku’s presidential rally in Rivers state under the guise of them lacking the capacity to fill the stadium.

But, despite his mean-spirited attacks on his party, he hasn’t openly declared support for another candidate. However, some third-party informants say he has thrown his weight behind Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

After months of trying to let peace reign, Atiku has finally had enough. In a statement on February 22, 2023, he called out the Rivers state governor, describing him as “a con man and a chicken hiding under the costume of a lion”. He also accused him of planning to use violence in the state to hand Tinubu the win. Looking back at everything Wike has put the PDP through in this election period, you can’t help but wonder if he’s really all bark and no bite. If he’s truly displeased with the party, why not defect to a different one? In January, he said he’d be announcing his preferred presidential candidate, but it’s one day before the presidential elections, and we’ve not heard a beep from him.

Is he shying away from supporting his candidate with his full chest, or is he playing chess while we’re stuck on checker’s?

What else happened this week?

The chef who’s a serial robber gets caught

Like the song goes, “Crazy things are happening”. Nigerians have been trying to survive the government since we crossed into this year, and now it looks like we have to be extra watchful with other Nigerians.

On February 23, 3023, the Lagos State Police Command arrested and detained a cook, Wilfred Amoussou, under the suspicion of drugging and robbing his employers. Allegedly, this isn’t Wilfred’s first rodeo as he has done this to many victims over the years, particularly in the Ikoyi, Parkview and Banana Island axis.

2023 needs a restart button because, so far, it’s not giving.

Video of the week

Just why do Nigeria’s Gen Z population think the coming elections are important? Hear them speak:#GenZ #Elections #ZitizensDecide #ZikokoCitizen pic.twitter.com/nPedq6kPWw
— Citizen by Zikoko (@ZikokoCitizen) February 23, 2023

Question of the week

The Supreme court adjourned the case again against the Naira redesign to March 3. Do you still think they can help us in our fight against Meffy?

Ehen one more thing…

It’s one day to the presidential and national assembly elections. You can check the results as they are being released live, here or join our WhatsApp community to get updates, fact-checks, and talk to other voters.

Tolu Omotesho

February 27, 2023

Game of Votes

2023, Atiku, Chef, elections, pdp, Sedates employers, Wike
Can We Agree Now that Wike’s G5 Has Collapsed?

Ever since Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike lost the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket to Atiku Abubakar, the man has seemingly had only one mission — make Atiku’s campaign a living hell.

What has Wike not done to achieve this goal? From catchy Atiku diss tracks with his merry live band, to publicly flirting with other presidential candidates such as Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Wike has gone to all lengths to disgrace Atiku.

But his most effective weapon seems to be the G5. What is the G5, how successful has it been, and where is the G5 now?

Meet the G5

The G5 Governors [The Cable]

‘The G5’ are a group of five high-profile governors in the PDP that have gone rogue and no longer support their party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

This is due to their belief that the PDP’s regional composition is biased against the South, with a Northern presidential candidate and a Northern party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu. Thus, they’ve only had one condition for supporting Atiku — Ayu should step down as party chairman and let a Southerner have his place.

Atiku Abubakar and Iyorchia Ayu

But Ayu has refused to budge from his PDP throne, and Atiku has begged the G5 to reconsider, as he does not have the authority to sack him outright.

But the G5 are refusing to let the sleeping dogs lie, and left the Atiku support train. Even three of these governors have been reported to fully endorse Peter Obi.

The G5 governors are Nyesom Wike of Rivers State (the ringleader), Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State).

[newsletter type=”gov”]

It would be worth noting that Wike has already served his full tenure as Rivers State governor while other governors are running for second terms or senate seats in their respective states.

How successful has the G5 been?

The answer is not quite.

Since the emergence of the group in September 2022, they have only been seen making fashion statements with their uniforms at public events and fleeting between war and reconciliation talks with PDP leadership. And even those have not been happening recently.

Their chances of swaying the polls ahead of the 2023 elections have drastically reduced. This is due to Obi’s growing influence amongst citizens of their states, with opinion polls such as Bloomberg giving the candidate’s chances of winning as high as 60%.

Worst of all, the G5 governors seem to be losing their resolve on hating Atiku.

Ugwuanyi, for instance, recently welcomed Atiku to Enugu state, where he had a rally. Today, Seyi Makinde’s wingman, Hosea Agboola, just became chairman of Atiku’s presidential council in Oyo State. And even Benue governor, Samuel Ortom, attended Atiku’s Benue rally on February 7. This was with his full entourage consisting of the deputy governor, aides and even local government chairmen.

This has caused many to speculate that their agenda is ‘dead’, according to a member of the PDP Presidential Campaign.

What’s Next for the G5?

However, Wike has come out to assure the public that their reign of terror is not yet over. According to him, the group is yet to release their February 25 election strategy.

Will the G5 cause havoc on Election Day? Or will the will of the people be affirmed? We will know on February 25.

Join the Citizen Situation Room and Helpline on WhatsApp today to get real-time gist and drama on the 2023 elections.

Chiamaka Dike

February 15, 2023

Citizen

2023 Elections, g5, Nigeria, pdp, Wike
How Atiku Plans to Deal With IPOB, ASUU… and Wike

On December 11, 2022, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, were guests at a town hall hosted by Channels TV. The two-hour townhall focused on the PDP’s plans for Nigerians if the party is allowed to return to Aso Rock Villa.

What did Atiku say?

In his opening remarks, Atiku said Nigeria is going through its worst existential challenge since the civil war, describing the country as disunited due to security and economic issues.

The candidate believes his experience makes him uniquely qualified for the position of president more than the other candidates. Don’t forget this is his sixth attempt trying to become Nigeria’s president.

On IPOB

Atiku believes the central issue regarding the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is the realisation of Biafra. He noted that the options for that to happen are either another civil war or negotiations, and indicated his preference for the latter. Atiku also believes more autonomy for subregions will quell agitations.

On ASUU

On the recurrent strikes by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Atiku says he’ll clear all their backlogs. A very bold promise.

“I’m going to increase the funding level (of education) as against what’s currently obtained. There’s no doubt about that because I’m a firm and committed believer in education.

“I’ve undertaken to say, whatever backlog — we’re going to clear all the backlogs and make sure that you go back to classes and students go back to school.”

On insecurity

Atiku has plans to emulate the UAE to tackle insecurity in Nigeria. He’d know a lot about that seeing as Dubai is his second home.

“The security architecture I admire is the UAE security architecture and it’s primarily based on monitoring. You don’t see policemen in uniform in UAE, you don’t see soldiers but virtually everybody is being monitored on a daily basis and particularly if you are a visitor, from the moment you step into the country or go out, anywhere you’re going, you’re being watched and that’s the deployment of technology as far as security is concerned.

“That’s to say we’re aiming for the ultimate, but we have to deal with our current security structure. How we reform it to ensure we give our people a more secure environment to undertake their own legitimate businesses wherever they may be, whether in the rural areas, semi-urban and so on.”

On Wike’s unending beef

Atiku said he tried on his part to square things with Nyesom Wike who he defeated at the PDP primaries to clinch the presidential ticket.

“I’ve met Wike two times in Port Harcourt, two times in Abuja, one time in London, personally. It’s not on my part; it’s on the other side. I’m waiting for him.”

Dear Wike, we’re all waiting for your reply.

On privatisation

Atiku has long been a champion of privatisation which has earned him equal measure of praise from his supporters and criticism from those who say he wants to sell state assets to his friends.

He responded to a question on why he’s fixated on selling public assets.

“I’m not fixated but I think that’s best for the country. I mean, let’s be honest with ourselves, we have four refineries and they’ve ceased functioning; I don’t know for how many years now and every year we budget money for overhauling the refineries that don’t work. Please, let’s give it to the private sector.

“In every great nation in this world, you find out that it’s the private sector that’s driving the economy — they provide the jobs, they provide the prosperity, and they do everything. Why should we be different? So, I’m not fixated.”

On Deborah Samuel

Atiku also addressed the controversy surrounding the death of Deborah Samuel, a 19-year old Christian killed by a mob of her classmates in Sokoto over allegations of blasphemy. Atiku’s Twitter account had posted a statement condemning her death, before later deleting it.

When asked why he deleted the tweet, the candidate said it was posted without his approval. But he made it clear that he later condemned the murder.

Why did you delete your tweet about Deborah's murder?

Atiku Abubakar gives his answer below: #CTVTweets #ThePeoplesTownHall #NigeriaDecides2023 pic.twitter.com/Bi9IYTmwgg
— Channels Television (@channelstv) December 11, 2022

Not everyone’s buying his answer though.

Stephen Agwaibor

December 12, 2022

Citizen

ASUU, Atiku, IPOB, Wike
What Else Can Wike Do With 100,000 Special Assistants?

If Nigerian politicians were content creators, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, would be one of the most-watched creators on the social media streets. Every new week is a new opportunity for content for Wike, from using a live band to diss Atiku Abubakar, to bullying the PDP national chairman, or showing he’s a baller by dashing ₦300 million to a handful of Lagos widows.

The latest episode of the Wike Show is the appointment of the first batch of 100,000 special assistants on “Political Unit Affairs” in Rivers. According to Wike, their job description is to “work among their people and hear their views of his administration.” In other words, they should do amebo on what the Rivers streets are saying about Wike’s government. Of course, we can only guess the colour of wahala that’ll emerge if those comments are negative.

Some critics also think he’ll use these special assistants for vote buying, especially against whoever Wike doesn’t like.

But, is the only use of these 100,000 ~~minions~~ special assistants opinion monitoring? Because we have some creative ideas for how Wike can use them if he’s interested.

Backup singers for his live band

Wike could make these 100,000 special assistants the latest addition to his live band for diss tracks. The band has already made phenomenal hit songs, from “As e dey sweet us, e dey pain dem” to “Wike na bigi man.” They have great potential to top Asake and co on the music charts.

There's no party like a Wike band party. pic.twitter.com/V9jI1NJhFs
— Citizen by Zikoko (@ZikokoCitizen) August 20, 2022

New hires for his research team

With the way Wike dishes out interesting scandals on the PDP chairman on a steady basis, we believe there must be a secret research team giving him all the dirt. If the team is ever in need of fresh hands, these new guys can definitely help.

Content strategists for his battle against Atiku

Since Atiku named the governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his vice-presidential candidate, Wike has been a wrecking ball to all of his campaign efforts. From calling him out as a “fake founding father” and even calling his supporters “attack dogs,” Wike has targeted Atiku like a hunter would target his prey.

But it’s only human to run out of steam, even if you’re Wike. That’s why the governor needs these special assistants to back him up with fantastic Atiku comebacks every week. Two heads are better than one, so imagine what 100,001 heads can do.

Chiamaka Dike

November 4, 2022

Citizen

2023 Elections, citizen, Nigeria, Nigerians, Rivers, Wike
All the Gbas Gbos of Nyesom Wike and Iyorchia Ayu’s Civil War

If Nyesom Wike wasn’t the governor of Rivers State, we can totally see him as a party hypeman. From performing diss tracks with his live band to taking relentless stabs at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Wike has done it all.

There's no party like a Wike band party. pic.twitter.com/V9jI1NJhFs
— Citizen by Zikoko (@ZikokoCitizen) August 20, 2022

Wike’s beef with Atiku started after he lost the PDP presidential ticket to him and didn’t get selected as his running mate.

Wike’s fight isn’t with Atiku alone, but also with the PDP’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu. The governor has repeatedly demanded Ayu’s resignation as a condition to secure his support for Atiku’s campaign. For Wike, not getting his way is equal to wahala for everybody.

ALSO READ: Why Nyesom Wike’s Pressing Atiku’s Neck

For weeks, Wike was the only one running his mouth over the resignation issue, but Ayu has been firing back his own shots recently. Let’s look at the biggest highlights of the gbas gbos between the two senior men.

“How dare you stop PDP candidates from contesting elections?”

Wike gave it hot to Ayu after the national chairman hinted he has the almighty power to stop any candidate from contesting on the party’s platform. He was really referring to Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, who’s one of Wike’s core loyalists. Wike didn’t like the threat and he challenged Ayu to try him.

Wike said, “I heard when he said he could have stopped Ortom from running for election. You see how ungrateful human beings can be. This was the same Governor Ortom who pleaded with us to allow Ayu to become the national chairman.

“This is a man who never campaigned anywhere. This is a man who never bought a form or a poster. Even the money they gave him to print posters, he never printed any posters. Now he is saying he can stop the man who brought him, who became his guarantor.”

“Ayu collected ₦‎1 billion in Lagos”

Wike also won’t let us hear word about how Ayu is corrupt and has repeatedly accused him of the illegal collection of ₦‎1 billion for the party’s primaries.

He said, “Ayu is corrupt. Quote me. I’m a lawyer and I’m the governor of Rivers State. Ayu collected ₦‎1 billion in Lagos. He told one of the PDP presidential aspirants before the primary that the governors weren’t ready to fund the party.”

This was when Ayu started to open his mouth and push back against Wike by denying the allegation. He said, “The consistent attack on my person since the end of the convention on May 31. I have refrained from reacting as the father of the party I felt I should encourage reconciliation. But where it touches on my personal integrity, I appeal to such people to desist from trying to malign my character.”

He promised to show to publish the party’s account statement by the end of the year to prove his innocence. But why wait that long?

“…his children will disown him”

As if the ₦1 billion issues weren’t enough, Wike also accused Ayu of collecting an additional ₦100 million illegally from a certain governor. And this is the point where Wike dragged Ayu’s children into the mess.

He said, “Let me tell you Ayu collected N100 million from a governor. If not for the love of this party, if we release what we have, Ayu’s children will go to him and say we are no longer your children.”

Wike is clearly too committed to this feud to quit and there’s no going back for him at this point.

ALSO READ: What We Learnt From Nyesom Wike’s London Tour

Chiamaka Dike

November 1, 2022

Citizen

2023 General Elections, Ayu, Nigeria, Nigerians, pdp, Wike