It was the late Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim of blessed memory that first made the doctrine of politics without bitterness a recurring decimal in our political discourse, post-1979. That is not to say it never existed prior, but it rekindled the need for playing politics without undue bickering, unhealthy rivalries and sheer bitterness amongst the main players.
This piece is about the steadily creeping of the rambunctious politics of bitterness in our body politic. A sort of politics of do-or-die, ala Olusegun Obasanjo.
The history of the political alliance between the former Governors of Sokoto and Rivers States, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Nyesome Wike is well known. That the two were once best of bed fellows politically and that the reverse is now the case is also no news.
This, of course, is quite normal as the saying goes that there is no permanent friend or permanent enemy in politics. What matters is the interest at the point in time.
It is therefore foolhardy for any politician to take both the sword and the shovel against any of his colleagues whose interest deviates from his. This is because, one cannot always predict when your interests align again.
Nyesome Wike had been very bitter with most PDP politicians since he contested and lost the 2023 primaries that saw the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the party's presidential flag bearer. He chiefly blamed Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for that and any other political misfortunes that have befallen him ever since then. He also does not waste any time in castigating Tambuwal at the slightest of opportunity.
As if arm-chair criticism is not enough, Wike has made a pastime of using the Rivers people's common wealth to block and scuttle any political move by Tambuwal, both at the state and national levels just to take his 'pound of flesh'.
It is on record that Wike had employed several avenues to interfere and influence the direction of politics of Sokoto State during the 2023 elections by aligning with the opposition APC and a few PDP supporters to ensure PDP's loss and more especially to defeat Tambuwal in the Sokoto South Senatorial polls.
That was in the same way that he had earlier engaged in series of anti-party activities in his own Rivers State and in the so-called G5 states where he and his fellow co-travellers held sway.
In the circumstance, political pundits believe that the PDP should have long done the needful by expelling him and his likes. Wike should have been told to join the APC and leave the 'dying' PDP alone so that he can get some compensation to keep his 'ground' now that the cash-cow inflow from Rivers has let itself loose and free from his infringes.
As the race for the Senate Minority leadership begins, Wike has resumed his kill-the-jack politics once again. He has traversed all the political nooks and crannies of the country to block any attempt by Tambuwal to contest the position of the Senate Minority Leader. This is despite the party's leadership's collective decision to put its weight behind Tambuwal.
After abandoning your party at the middle of crucial national elections, gleefully rejoicing in their defeat and still hobnobbing with their rivals for possible crumbs, without shame or qualms, you still want to dictate to them who to elect as their Minority Leader!
Indeed, it is time Nyesom Wike is reminded and pointedly told in clear, plain language and terms, that he is dealing with politically enlightened and sophisticated Nigerians from both political divides.
To sum it up, where was Governor Wike when the PDP leadership selected Senator Tambuwal as the chairman of the PDP governorship forum and the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council? Where was former Governor Wike when the entire Nigerian Governors elected him as their undisputed Governors Forum leader?
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Lastly, for comparative analysis, let me draw a 'scale' of trust between Wike and Tambuwal. That is putting Wike, Tambuwal and other key leaders of the PDP on the scale for the weighing of character, comportment and suitability. Or, let's go on the process of separating the chaff from the grains and the reader will be able to decide who is more trust worthy and who should be trusted.
Politics is about the whole, not the sum. In that context, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is going to shame his detractors once again by coming out victorious in the contest for the Senate Minority Leader.
The great and patriotic democrats in the venerable Red Chamber cannot be blindfolded, led by the nose and by obfuscation and cacophonous antics.
- Maishanu, a former Sokoto State Commissioner for Information, writes from Apo, Abuja
