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Wike Congratulates Buhari, Why Not?

Published

6 years ago

September 16, 2019

To the range of stories twisted out of context and rendered in a scurrilous form to injure the reputation of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has been added that of his congratulatory message to President Muhamadu Buhari, over the latter’s victory at the Presidential Electoral Petitions Tribunal (PEPT).In the wake of the tribunal’s verdict which dismisses the petition of Abubakar Atiku of the PDP challenging the election of Buhari as President of the country during the February 2019 polls, congratulatory messages flowed to the President from several quarters- most of such coming from stakeholders in his party, the APC. It was in this ambience that Wike also sent his own goodwill message to Buhari- only for his traducers to go to town with venom-laced diatribes against the Rivers State governor. The plank on which the query for congratulating Buhari rested was the different political parties they belonged to. Buhari is of the APC while Wike is of the PDP. In the cauldron of Nigerian politics, elements in opposing political parties are expected to be not only in mortal rivalry but acrimony and even enmity with each other.
Remarkably, Wike‘s response to such attacks featured his characteristic down to earth common sense trivialisation, which often reduces their intended impact to nothing more than the burst of a soap bubble. Hence, to the question of why he congratulated Buhari, Wike argued that politics is a game of interests and that he only acted as it is traditional to give due compliments to a victor in a court battle. This is just as he called on the President to be more altruistic in administering the country – especially in carrying all of its parts along. Where then is the sin in that attitude, one may ask?
Against the backdrop of the flood of misgivings over the verdict by the PEPT, it is trite to observe that many Nigerians would wish the dispensation would simply go away like a bad dream. While the camp of the petitioner, Atiku Abubakar had gone to bed thinking that it had a watertight case, that would reverse the result of the polls and bring their principal to power, they only woke up to be confronted with a judicial outcome that proved unpalatable. As many in the PDP fold rose up in a band wagon pattern to condemn the development, others of the same political persuasion and were more discerning, went beyond the simplistic discredit of the situation to address themselves to the way forward. In the context of the way forward lies the need to de-escalate political tensions and acrimony, which tallies with Wike’s response to Buhari’s victory.
Seen from a detached angle, there are many reasons why a governor that knows his onions needs to congratulate the President over such a judicial outcome which perhaps constitutes the most significant challenge to the President’s tenure in office, difference in party affiliations notwithstanding. Firstly, it demonstrates the governor’s abhorrence for politics with bitterness, since as Wike had clarified earlier that balancing of interests defines the rhythm of political games. What would happen if the governor indulges in the pettiness of keeping malice with President Buhari and two of them meet at any of the statutory fora for leaders of the country? Hence, the wisdom in the cliché that there are no permanent enemies in politics but permanent interests.
Secondly, in the light of the unmistakable anti-Wike crusade in the APC hierarchy both at the Rivers State and national levels, as well as even the Presidency, who knows how much denigration has been visited on his person,and which may be associated with the serial denial of the state of even the statutory refund of funds it spent on federal government projects. This is even with the representation of the state at the highest level of the Federal Government by no less a person than the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi whose considerable clout in the ruling APC is not in doubt. It is public knowledge that the Minister’s personal disposition of acrimony towards Wike has a lot to do with the deprivations of the state, of several dividends from the federal government.
From all indications, the latest anti-Wike diatribe is coming as part of a stream of coordinated salvoes in an agenda of deconstruction which the sponsors are groping for any opportunity to cash in on. Expectedly, therefore, more of such may be coming as the grouse of the detractors may not have been assuaged. In fact, there is every reason to expect that failure of past efforts to deconstruct Wike, may rather embolden these agents of mischief and launch them into more desperate activities.
This is where the spate of venom -attacks on perceived political foes that hardly address issues of development in Nigeria, constitute the demon that needs to be collectively addressed by all well-meaning Nigerians, given their potential to disrupt the processes of governance, by distracting public officials who may be bothered by their virulence. This is also where the typical response by Wike to such salvoes remains eminently elegant as it portrays a man that maintains his cool in the face of provocations.
By the way, beyond level-headedness and calm in the face of storms, where else lies the inner strength of true leadership?

Monima Daminabo

Featured

Fubara Dissolves Rivers Executive Council

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.

Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.

The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.

“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.

“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”

Featured

INEC Proposes N873.78bn For 2027 Elections, N171bn For 2026 Operations

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.

INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.

An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.

The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.

He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.

“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”

On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”

The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.

He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.

Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.

He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.

He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.

In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.

The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.

He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.

“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.

The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.

Featured

Tinubu Mourns Literary Icon, Biodun Jeyifo

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

The Tide

President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed grief over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.

Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, drawing tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.

In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.

He noted that the late professor would be sorely missed for his incisive criticism and masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

The President also recalled Jeyifo’s leadership of ASUU, praising the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union over the years.

Tinubu said Jeyifo played a key role in shaping negotiation frameworks with the government aimed at improving working conditions for university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.

According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s longstanding advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will continue to inspire generations.

He added that the late scholar’s influence extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he served as a mentor to numerous scholars, writers, and activists.

Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.

“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said.

“Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity. I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed.”

Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.