By Obor Uvwere
Unless the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, drops its planned move to field Nyisom Wike, minister of Education and arch political enemy of Rotimi Amaechi, the party may well kiss Rivers State good bye come 2015 general election, says Anaps Sara-Igbe, former adviser on security to Peter Odili, erstwhile Rivers State governor.
As a member of the concerned Elders of Rivers State PDP, Sara-Igbe believes that the current move by the Felix Obuah led PDP in the state to give the governorship party ticket to the minister of Education is against the existing zoning arrangement as agreed to by all stakeholders in the state. “Any attempt at reversing this agreement can only lead to the party losing the state to the opposition,” said Sara-Igbe.
Wike is from Ikwere like Amaechi. This is one of the nine zones Rivers State was delineated into for the governorship seat rotation. Before Ikwere, Orashi had produced the governor from 1999 to 2007 with Odili. The other zones in the arrangement are Kalabari, whom Sara-Igbe insists is next in line to produce the next governor, Ogoni, Ibani, Etche/Omuma Obigbo, Asa, Ndoki, Obolo and Okrika.
With the state governor and President Goodluck Jonathan in open war of attrition, Wike is seen as the arrow head of the coalistion against Amaechi in Rivers. But in recent times, clamor for Wike to contest 2015 has begun making the airwaves prompting many to assume that the minister may well be the favored candidate of the party come 2015. But Sara-Igbe believes that any such calculation will take away from the efforts at checkmating Amaechi.
According to Igbe, elders in the state like Alabo Graham Douglas, Rufus Ada George, Late Marshal Harry, Bekinbo Soberekon, Samson Ngerigbara, Sergeant Awuse, Dumo Lulu-Briggs, AK Horsefall, Sara-Igbe, himself and so many others had met in 2001 and 2002 to fashion out the zoning arrangement in the state. Sara-Igbe contends that this deal is still very much intact.
According to him, All People’s Congress, APC, is not strong enough to win the next election regardless of Amaechi’s defection to the party. But the former aide on security insists that Wike’s candidature as being planned by PDP may invariably lead to an implosion of the party in the state, leading many to cast sympathy votes for Wike’s opponent in the state.
“I believe the situation in Rivers State can still be salvaged. Regardless of the campaigns going on in the state, PDP is still strong and will win the next election. But fielding Wike after an eight years of Amaechi, both Ikwere men, there can be no doubt that Rivers people will vote against his choice in 2015,” Sara Igbe added.
