We are in possession of information that last weekend’s commissioning of some judiciary buildings in Rivers State by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on the invitation of the state governor, Nyesom Wike, has more to it than meets the eye.
Contrary to the notion that the Rivers State governor invited Tinubu to commission projects in his state in order for him (Wike) to patronise and lobby the president-elect for ministerial position, it has come to our knowledge that the major agenda was for the Tinubu team to commission Wike for the job of compromising the merits of the petition filed by the PDP and Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party and Peter Obi in challenging the declaration of Tinubu as winner of the February 25 presidential election.
There is palpable apprehension in the camp of the APC and Tinubu because of the potential merits in Atiku’s and Obi’s case.
According to information available to us, the decision to commission the Rivers State governor for undermining the PDP’s and Labour’s petitions is on account of the fact that Gov Wike is perceived as not minding to commit his last blood in ensuring that Atiku is not declared the real winner of the election for obvious reasons.
Since Wike appears so desperate to earn an appointment in the cabinet of the president-elect, it was unanimously decided to draft him for the job of undermining the petition from his party and Labour against the APC.
While the APC was not certain about how Wike would undertake the task, the idea for the commissioning of judiciary buildings in Rivers State by the president-elect was a brainchild of the Rivers governor and the objective was to, use the opportunity of the event to convince the APC and president-elect of his (Wike’s) capacity to deliver on the assignment.
Indeed, there is high expectation on Governor Wike to use the advantage of the fact that his wife and Rivers State First Lady, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Wike, in whose honour one of the buildings commissioned by Tinubu was named, to network the judiciary for the purpose of discounting the merit in the PDP’s and Labour’s petitions.
The invitation of Tinubu by Governor Wike to come and commission judiciary building projects was to provide a ground for the Tinubu team to meet with Wike and seal the deal with him.
In particular, they believe that Wike has what it takes to undermine the petition by the PDP and Atiku, which they’ve adjudged as the most potent.
It is their considered position that for as long as Wike remains Atiku’s albatross, the Rivers StateGovernor is more fitted for the task of liquidating the petition by Atiku.
Signed:
Center for Reform and Public Advocacy
Ifeanyi Okechukwu
Public Relations Officer