There are indications that the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, might have gotten a soft landing, and he would return to office in September at the expiration of his suspension, with his visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his Ikoyi residence last week.
Some governors and leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are said to be angry with Fubara, whom they accused to have made a deal with the presidency and his predecessor in office, Nyesom Wike.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is in an expansive mood as they are celebrating the development.
Sunday Telegraph reported that the events which led to Fubara’s visit to President Tinubu last week began sometime in April when a former and serving South West governors, with another one in the north, led Fubara to a peace meeting with Wike in Abuja.
Generally, both sides agreed to sheathe their swords as long as they maintained the status quo. Wike was quoted as saying that as long as Fubara and his men maintained their lanes, there would be no trouble. They were able to extract that from Wike. That was why Fubara was angry when they referred to his return during the night of tributes for the late Edwin Clark.
“That was part of the peace deal. Both sides should maintain decorum and should not stoke any fire. Those who were responsible for stoking the fire were told to keep their peace. That was why the governor was angry at a private ceremony when some people were referring to his return.
“Also, one of the deals was that he should keep quiet; he would not ruffle the feathers. Wike, too, was said to have given his words. So, when they referred to his returning on the night of tributes for Late Edwin Clark, he was very angry, and Wike too was pained.
“He told them that, but for the State of Emergency which the President declared, his people would have removed him. Wike told those people that he betrayed him and he was ridiculing him, and he needed to teach him some political lessons.”
It was gathered that Wike said that he hoped Fubara had learnt his lessons and, going forward, he would know how to behave properly.
For now, everybody would abide by the terms of the agreement brokered by the Peace Committee members, who took Fubara to Wike.
“They would not have done it without the consent, indirectly, of Mr President. They informed him about their mission, and he granted them what they called his tacit approval of the peace moves. They are serving governors – One of them in the South West. Before they went, they got the tacit approval of Mr President,” a source in the know said.
The source continued: “There is a soft landing for Fubara, which is confirmation of what we said before. That is also making the governors very angry. It is the final confirmation that he has done a deal with Wike and the presidency.
“When you talk about the presidency, they are talking about Wike. In the APC, they are celebrating the combustion in the PDP. Some of them are saying that they do not see the PDP reconciling even before the election, and that for them, it is another confirmation that the APC would have its way.”
Some people also feared that APC may become too heavy and will lead to final combustion that would be difficult to put out.
Talking about combustion, that is what seems to be the lot of the PDP as the party whose governors seem to be jumping ship and joining the ruling party.
Sources conversant with happenings in the country’s political landscape confided in the Sunday Telegraph that the governors believed that they are the owners of the party. They are ready to take over the party, and anyone who does not want peace should be ready to leave the party for them
The Bukola Saraki Reconciliation Committee is not finding things easy. The governors are saying that if they want peace, the Wike problem would be solved permanently through expulsion. Some people are saying no! They believe that Wike is one of the people whose soul and body are in Tinubu’s party. They are not saying he is in APC, but the Tinubu party. Whatever that means? They are saying that without exorcising him from the PDP, the PDP would not go anywhere,” the Source said.
But the Wike Group has a trump card. They said that they would continue to be in the party, and whatever the law says is what they will follow. Unfortunately, the idea of coalescing, that is coalition of parties, is an individual thing. That is, Atiku Abubakar’s thing. It will not completely lead to the emasculation of the party. Those who are saying that are of the view that the party needs a surgical operation.
Those who are not going with the side, especially the Wike side, are saying that Wike is playing a double game, which is trying as much as possible “use the party” and they believe that a party of the APC game is to continue to cause confusion and trouble in the party using Wike, while time continues to go. They said that they have not seen anything that shows that Wike is ready for reconciliation.
Also, they point to the fact that while this is going on, they asked the suspended Governor Fubara to go and seek legal intervention in his suspension. He is towing the part of Wike, looking for peace with Mr President and the APC. That is another reason they believe that Wike is a problem with the PDP.
“They were so disappointed that the man they emboldened and told that they were behind him and they would seek justice, has bailed out due to Wike’s overbearing attitude toward him. They also see that as a sign that Wike is not ready for reconciliation and that he is playing the APC game,” the Source said.
On the part of Atiku and the coalition, some of the governors argue that Atiku’s game plan is to seize the party and its presidential ticket. And all the talk about coalescing is to build his image and also ensure that he gets the ticket again.
“They are saying that they have the wherewithal, not in terms of financial strength, but in terms of political leverage to defeat APC or Tinubu in 2027. For them, exorcise the ghost of Wike, lay to rest the ghost of Atiku, and then see what can be done to give the PDP a fresh breath of air. That is what the leaders, who are governors are saying.
“Also, they are shopping for a former governor as the chairman of the party. Some PDP governors are behind the scenes hobnobbing with the APC in spite of what is going on. There are fears that, apart from Delta and Akwa Ibom, there may be one more governor eyeing the APC.”
