How Wike schemed his way into Tinubu’s cabinet

DAILY TRUST

Even though he was not a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressives Congress Party, APC, in Rivers State, Barrister Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State took many by surprise when he got the state’s ministerial slot believed to be an exclusive reserve for registered members of APC in the oil-rich state. With his visit to the APC national chairman on Tuesday, Daily Trust reports that Wike’s defection to the APC may come sooner than later.

After fully settling down at the Aso Villa, President Bola Tinubu gave a nod to the APC across the 36 states of the federation to nominate one person for ministerial positions.

The composition of the Federal Executive Council cuts across the 36 states of the federation as a reflection of the federal character principle and equal representation of all the states in the executive council.

The president’s nomination is constitutionally guided to consist of at least 37 persons, one per state and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Another legal requirement is for the president to ensure that the nominations are made not later than 60 days from the day of his inauguration.

About 45 ministerial nominees including the former governor of Rivers State have been screened and confirmed so far by the Senate.

Wike, a prominent member of PDP who has now clicked the FCT ministerial slot, had used APC as a launching pad to seek his pound of flesh from his party after his inability to clinch the presidential and vice presidential tickets pitched him against the leadership of the party.

But the crisis over who calls the shots in the leadership of the APC in Rivers State had given him an ample opportunity to strategise and win the hearts of top shots of the party.

The leadership of APC in Rivers State was engrossed in a crisis that made the former Transportation Minister, Chibuike Amaechi, to lose grip of the party’s structure.

The development led to a mass exodus of notable members of the party to the PDP. Wike cashed in on the crisis and deployed human and material resources to woo many APC members to his side.

Influential members of the party such as Prince Tonye Princewill, Senator Magnus Abe, Dr Dawari George, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, Chris Finebone, among others, left the party to join the PDP and other political parties. The crisis continued to dwarf the fortunes of the party until the APC presidential primaries gave President Tinubu the presidential ticket.

Amaechi who came a distant third in the presidential primaries was said not to have supported Tinubu despite the hand of fellowship extended to him by the latter.

Prior to the February 25 2023 presidential election, the structure of APC in the state became weak just as Tinubu’s chances of winning the State became very slim.

Prominent leaders of APC had turned the Ada George Port Harcourt residence of Wike a beehive where they go to woo the former governor to join the party.

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