Two prominent sons of the Rivers State would be busy this weekend. Both are looking for inroads into the heart of a State they know so well.
From every indication, the titans and members of their team would not be operating within the same Senatorial District.
Governor Nyesom Wike will be visiting Ogoniland Saturday, May 15th, 2021.
A civic reception has been planned for the Governor and organizers of the event are saying it would be top notch.
We are learning, as we update our information, that funds to put together the event have been raised by donors who may include members of Kagote and some agencies operating in Ogoniland.
We have equally heard that a prominent politician who strenuously claims membership of the APC may be part of the welcome party when Wike appears.
Wike is struggling to establish strong ties with the Ogoni ethnic nation. Somehow, he seems to have found an ally in Dum Dekor, a member of the House of Representatives.
Knowledgeable sources say Dum’s political profile is growing by the day.
Among the Ogoni, there is a growing feeling Dum may be the one to realize the Ogoni aspiration to govern Rivers State, that is, if Wike and the PDP look in that direction.
In the meantime, the Ogonis are saying they would swim politically with any party that offers them the governorship.
In Port Harcourt on Sunday, 16th May, 2021, the Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon. Rotimi Amaechi would be in action.
The party office of the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State would be the destination.
Amaechi is obviously loved by many. His visit to the State, which happens once in a while, usually attracts huge crowds.
These crowds storm venues of events just to catch a glimpse of the Rivers hero seen as the General of the Commonsense Revolution.
This time, the APC may have to downplay numbers. There are restrictions placed by existing protocols set out by the NCDC and the Federal Government.
We have learnt that the leadership of the APC is bent on complying with those standards.
“There are guidelines, they are properly defined, and we are going to play by the rules”, a party chieftain told the Telegraph Friday night.
Sunday, the two-time Speaker and two-term Governor would be engaged in serious political business.
The Minister would be receiving prominent PDP members who are fed up with the new nature of their former party.
More than that, these decampees, high ups in the PDP, are disgusted with the style of the Governor of Rivers State.
They say the major reason for leaving the party and the one they accuse of turning into a dictator, is the way he is managing the affairs of the State.
This is the second time within a space of months that the Minister of Transportation would be receiving high ranking PDP members from different parts of the State.
For some watchers, the mass defections that are trailing it may turn out to be bad signs for the PDP in Rivers State. There are those sitting on the fence and others who outrightly think serious cracks are gradually emerging.
Governor Wike would do his best to downplay the significance of the grand reception that the APC is planning in Port Harcourt for former commissioners and top PDP members who have thrown in the towel.
He may even choose the option of denigrating and castigating those who have decided to chart a new direction when he steps on Ogoni soil.
But many political observers are taking cognizance of the increasing number of those who are leaving the PDP.
Many more angry members of the ruling party in the State may decide to follow the footpath of those who have left on a journey which no longer includes the PDP.
Only time will tell. Time is however what the political class does not have.
2023 is just around the bend, 2022 is all that is left in the middle, and many intent on plotting a new political graph before 2023 may have already started making their own projections.
Among APC supporters, the entry of more persons into a rejuvenated party led by the Minister of Transportation is a pointer to what is likely to happen in future.
It is not yet known if Governor Wike would be receiving APC members in the Ogoni axis.
Should that happen, most would be supporters of Senator Magnus Abe. Some of his core supporters have since moved to the PDP.
Stripped of his supporters in parts of the State by the PDP, Abe would be forced eventually to make a decision.
He would be forced to leave for the PDP or be left with a handful of political associates who think going to the PDP might amount to committing political suicide.
As things are, the APC is changing and changing fast. It is evident that those who are joining the APC are not drifting in the direction of Senator Abe.
They are rather moving in droves in the direction of the former Governor of Rivers State who still appears to have a magic Wand in his hand.
Saturday and Sunday would prove eventful. People are waiting to hear what the two men would say or do in Ogoniland and the State capital.
Their comments, attitude, behavior and style in the two areas where they would deliver major speeches would form the major talking points of the days to come.
Whatever happens, politicians are warming up and rearing to go. They are making moves at various levels and forging new alliances that may prove useful.