Tony Okocha, a chief and an apparent extrovert, who stands astride Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), seems to soldier on as leader of the party despite a court verdict removing legitimacy on him, and the anger of the elders of the state.
Okocha began as a special assistant to Nyesom Wike in the days of Wike as Chairman of Obio/Akpor LGA in the state before he became the chief of staff in Govt House in Port Harcourt under then Gov Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. He fell out with Wike at a point, later fell out with Amaechi at another point when Amaechi was minister. Finally, he pitched camp with Wike in his (Wike’s) second term as governor and was accused of working for Wike while being in the APC.
Things came to a head when he helped Wike (or Wike helped him) to deliver Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president by winning Rivers State. He thus came out openly to embrace Wike who became Tinubu’s arch stone while Tony became the new APC strong man pushing away Amaechi’s camp and most others. He also attracted those such as Magnus Abe who threw in the towel of opposing him and Wike.
The Tinubu administration seemed to build on him while Wike as FCT Minister seems to rely on Okocha to interpret his war plan in the state.
Now, the Amaechi camp seemed to get some fillip later and began to push back. Okocha and some others said they got oxygen from the Simplified group, the support base of Gov Sim Fubara who fell out of favour from Wike, the man that openly admitted to making him governor.
Now, a court in Port Harcourt ruled that the Charles Beke executive committee that was dissolved by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) was the rightful leadership of the APC in the state; and that Okocha was not. Okocha was leading the Caretaker Committee (CTC) that the NWC set up.
Okocha didn’t seem to bat an eyelid. He went to Lagos and Abuja and bounced back with fresh endorsement as leader of the APC in Rivers State, despite the court judgment.
He seemed to rather foray into the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to dictate on behalf of Wike what should happen there. As it stands now, news of the PDP seems to get to newsmen more from the APC (Okocha) than from the PDP machinery.
Okocha has tended to concentrate in winning where it seems to matter most: APC national caucus, and at Abuja where the presidency and Wike rule. Other losses seem not to hurt him much.
When the PDP governors seemed to pump some oxygen to Fubara, Wike blew an explosive, threatening to ‘put fire’ in the PDP states that may smoke out the governors.
The section of the Rivers’ elders got offended and spoke out to return oxygen to Fubara. Those elders who however are hardly recognized by Wike and Okocha, fired a protest letter to the presidency against Wike (even if they were not sure it was not Wike that decides outcomes of such matters over there) over what they called: “Unsavory and demeaning threat statements made by the former Rivers State Governor and now FCT Minister in Port Harcourt.” They quoted Wike’s threats to the PDP governors such as ‘When God has given you peace, you say you don’t want peace – anything you see you take.’
“We at this Forum believe, that the above statement and threats consciously made by Wike to ‘Put fire’ in those States are callous, mischievous, unacceptable, and clearly undermine our democracy and national security.”
They appealed to Tinubu to make Wike to realise the importance of the high office he holds and the responsibility expected of him by the Nigerian State. A great novelist once said, ‘words are like bullets, once fired cannot be recalled and they are bound to cause the damage either intended/or unintended.’
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees the right to association and free speech to the extent that it is not Injurious to the Nigerian State. The oath Wike swore to, on assumption of office, protects those rights and caveats. It is rather unfortunate that those oaths are now being broken by him.
“That some states expressed support for the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, and called on his party’s NWC to grant him his “rightful” position as the leader of the party in the state does not earn them the verbal threats that Wike is unleashing on them. We therefore condemn, in its entirety, the language, the environment and the insults meted out to their Excellencies which we consider as an indirect assault on them. These bully tactics, are the hallmarks and characteristics of Chief Barr. Nyesom Wike.
“Threat to public peace from a serving cabinet Minister has the potential to snowball out of control, and is a sufficient recipe for eroding public confidence in political leaders, institutions, and the democratic process as a whole with a striking strength to deepen divisions within the society, thus making it very challenging to find common grounds towards peaceful resolution of disputes.
“We, the people of Rivers State stand for peace alone and we are known as ‘fire quenchers’ not ‘fire setters.’ Hence, we strongly appeal to the Minister, instead of poking and wreaking new fire, lets join hands to make sure that the fire is quenched completely.”
They said the statements and conducts of Wike if not timely checked, may lead to a breakdown of peace and security in Nigeria. That he also chose Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital to release these provocative threats is very worrisome and condemnable.
“For the record, we will like to comment on Wike’s over exaggerated use of the term ‘My Structure.’
“Rivers State before and at inception of our democratic journey, has been conservative and Pro North and South in terms of her voting/electoral leanings and patterns. Late Chief Melford Okilo, the first Civilian Governor of Rivers State had an alliance with the Northern People’s Congress, (NPC). Chief Rufus Ada George, (the political son of Chief Okilo) who later became Gov
“That some states expressed support for the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, and called on his party’s NWC to grant him his “rightful” position as the leader of the party in the state does not earn them the verbal threats, Wike is unleashing on them. We therefore condemn, in its entirety, the language, the environment and the insults meted out to their Excellencies which we consider as an indirect assault on them. These bully tactics, are the hallmarks and characteristics of Chief Barr. Nyesom Wike.”
Okocha unperturbed:
Instead, Okocha brushed aside the opinion or order of the court, brushed aside opinions of elders he considered partisan, and went to win fresh endorsement of the power base of the ruling party. With it, he bounced back to the state and called all party loyalists to his side and showed them why he is still the APC leader, being that the NWC and the presidency hold both the knife and the yam. Many big wigs agreed with him and hailed and told him to ‘carry go.’
He pushed on with Wike in the plan to unite both the APC and PDP structures in Rivers State so nothing would be left for Fubara.
Despite court orders, the PDP conducted the primaries they were asked not to. Many feared that Wike would be floored in the PDP power game but on September 11, 2024, news came from Abuja and Lagos that caused jubilations in Okocha’s side of the APC.
It was a news report that said Wike Wike has won again as the NWC of the PDP had allegedly approved the contentious Rivers State congresses from wards to the local governments and the state.
The story in one of the papers said: “With the current state of play, Governor Fubara has no control over the party in the state.
“Although matter is still a subject of litigation because a Rivers State court had restrained the PDP from holding the congresses in the state.
“Also, the NWC might have tentatively shifted the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party from September 26 to October 26.
These were some of the outcomes of the NWC meeting presided over by the acting national chairman of the PDP, Iliya Damagum.”
The report said at their meeting two weeks ago in Jalingo, Taraba State, the PDP governors directed the NWC to ensure that all the congresses in Rivers State should be handed over to the Rivers State governor, Fubara
“But Wike threatened any PDP governor, who interferes in the political affairs of Rivers State, warning that he would make their states ungovernable.”
In response, the PDP governors, in a statement by the Director General of the forum, chided Wike, stating that his utterances were unacceptable and reckless.
The PDP governors renewed their directive to ensure that all the structures were returned to Fubara.
“But at their NWC meeting of yesterday, the Damagum-led party approved the congresses in Rivers State. Though there were some oppositions from the National Legal Adviser, of the party, Adeyemi Ajibade, that it was not fair to recognise the Rivers State congresses alone as there were some legal challenges that were yet to be resolved. He was overruled by the NWC.
“There were some states included in congresses like in Abia and Ebonyi, the NWC ruled that they be concluded before the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. The NEC meeting was therefore, moved from September 26 to October 26.”
The report concluded that: “With a shift in the NEC meeting, all the congresses would be ratified at the October meeting and subsequently, a new national chairman might emerge. With this development, there were indications that Fubara might hasten his plans to move to the Alliance Peoples Party (APP).”
Conclusion:
Okocha has thus continued to build strength in both the APC and PDP in the state for Wike so when the hour comes, according to most Wike/Okocha supporters, the last strike would be delivered. Yet, many say, in Rivers’ politics, anything can happen any time.
