Some men enter the theatre of politics wearing masks, and then some storm through the doors bare-chested, roaring, daring both friend and foe to strike first. Wike has never needed a mask and his face is carved by combat not diplomacy, a lion with a microphone and a bulldozer for a will. Once the flame of the PDP, he now fans the furnace of Tinubu’s FCT dreams. From “APC must go!” to wearing its badge in broad daylight.
Wike’s transformation is either the boldest pivot in modern Nigerian politics or the most spectacular betrayal since Brutus kissed Caesar’s hand. But unlike Brutus, Wike didn’t strike in secret. He did it on the balcony, under the full glare of the sun. He says he fought for the South but critics say he fought for Wike. He also says that he stood for justice, but observers say he couldn’t stand losing the PDP ticket. So which is it? Is this man a Southern redeemer or just another statesman disguised in the robes of self-interest?
What’s undeniable about him is his theatre gift. Nyesom Wike doesn’t whisper his rebellions. He choreographs them, amplifies them, and turns them into televised symphonies of defiance. In doing so, he exposes the hypocrisy of the silent saboteurs who operate from the shadows while pretending to serve. Today, Wike is Mr. Projects in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, working like a man racing a stopwatch. Some say it’s a duty. Others whisper that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave him one instruction: “Deliver or disappear.” Is Wike proving a point or chasing an ultimatum?
His clash with Rotimi Amaechi is now folklore. A saga written in the stones of Port Harcourt and each brick is a witness to their unrelenting war. But has Rivers State grown stronger under this duel? Or has its soul been bled dry by two titans who cannot share a stage? He crowned Sim Fubara governor, but the crown tilted too soon. The throne rebelled, the godfather raged, and the people watched, weary of kings who demand kneeling. Is Wike a political architect building legacies or a man incapable of letting go of the scaffolding?
What does Wike want? To be kingmaker, king, or king-breaker? He looms large in every dialogue about 2027. Not because he has declared, but because he never really retires. He might not wear the crown but he always carries the sceptre, often behind his back, hidden in plain sight. Or perhaps, he is playing the long game. Biding time, securing turf, and waiting for 2027 to rise not as a candidate, but an indispensable anointer, the only man with enough bark and bite to broker the peace before the next war.
Yet history is a jealous chronicler. It records not just the moves you made, but the lives you shifted, the alliances you shattered, and the questions you refused to answer. One day, when the South asks, “What did we truly gain from Wike’s rebellion?” the silence may be louder than any speech. So I ask, when your time is done, what will you leave behind? A trail of battles won, a region redeemed, or a party reimagined?
“Some men lead with vision. Others lead with volume. But the rarest leaders lead with consequence, knowing that history listens not to echoes, but to impact.”
✍🏽 William Z. Bozimo
Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper
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