… Speaker, others may be removed in a palace coup
Governor Nyesom Wike and some members of his kitchen cabinet may be getting ready to topple the leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
This may not be unconnected with the cold war that is currently being fought within the rank and file of the State Chapter of the PDP.
Different camps are gradually emerging within the once united party and there are strong indications that the face-off between the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus and Governor Nyesom Wike might be fueling this trend.
Inside sources reveal that the plot against the leadership of the State Assembly which appears to have the seal of the Governor has reached an advanced stage.
“Any moment from now, the governor would make his move. Wike demands 100% loyalty from those who work with him”, a knowledgeable source hinted.
“He has become increasingly uncomfortable with certain powerful members of the party in the State”, the source further disclosed, “Of late, he has turned suspicious of a few faces in the leadership of the House.”
Already, Governor Wike has alleged that lawmakers in the State are preparing to fight him.
The Governor said at a commissioning ceremony on Wednesday that he has obtained evidence of a plot against him.
According to him, an audio recording available to him shows that such a plot to fight against him exists.
The state governor however did not say if the plan against him would result in an impeachment bid.
But he revealed that senators and other powerful persons who go about with him are part of the alleged plot.
Wike who now uses the flag off and commissioning ceremonies as platforms to deride perceived opponents claimed he is more experienced than most of those who are behind the alleged plot.
The Governor insisted he is in charge and vowed that the plan against him would fail.
Given Wike’s utterances pertaining to the intention of lawmakers at the State and national levels to gang up against him, a new theater of war is about to open.
In terms of what is known as the relationship which exists between the executive and the legislature, Wike has apparently broken with tradition.
Lawmakers in the State may not say it to his face, but they accuse the Governor of delaying or outrightly frustrating the execution of constituency projects.
“He is starving the House of funds and frustrating the relevance of the State Legislature. This is not how it was under the Odili and Amaechi administrations.
“These administrations treated the legislative institution with utmost respect”, a serving lawmaker remarked.
“We don’t know what he is doing anymore”, another lawmaker revealed, “We wake up like every other person to hear that the Governor is embarking on one project or another.
“As a House we cannot even embark on oversight functions. Wike is destroying the sanctity of the Assembly. If the Governor is looking for houseboys, he should look elsewhere”, the lawmaker added.
The Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly may have to watch his back. He is seen in Wike circles as a loyalist of Prince Uche Secondus.
Secondus is fighting for his political life and it is no longer a secret that one of the arrowheads arraigned against him is his own governor.
Constructive engagements among key political actors which produces compromises is not what the Wike administration is noted for.
The Governor has rather discovered a new weapon which he uses to bully and downgrade perceived opponents.
It is the use of live television which gives him unlimited access to prime time needed to take potshots at almost everybody.
Most perceived opponents have been abused and denigrated by a Governor who seemingly does not care about the impact such comments have on his person and the integrity of a State he governs.
Many Rivers people who have become tired of the daily show on television are wondering why the State Government spends scarce resources on a daily basis to pay for hours of airtime.
“It is time we saw the massive funds that are paid to Channels and AIT daily for what it is, a waste of public funds which could be deployed to the welfare of hungry Rivers people who have no work and no food”, a public analyst noted.