Wike Nyesome and his plans for 2023!

In a public ceremony held in Roman in 300 AD, with thousands of Roman citizens in attendance Julius Caesar was given the crown to became king of Rome. Thrice he rejected it!

For doing this the citizens of Rome fell even more in love with Caesar. 

Yet, the whole act was a staged-managed affair: a strategic masterstroke, masterminded and executed by Mark Anthony, Caesar’s arch ally. 

After Caesar won the trust of Roman mob, he became an autocratic leader with intolerance for oppostion. 

At this point he stopped seeking the council of Roman senate. Fearing that Caesar had become a tyrant in all but words, Brutus and Co. Conspired & murdered him.

I know this analogy doesn’t exactly fit-in with Wike’s circumstances, still it is telling of his influence on PDP and of things to come in 2023. 

The only time I doubted Wike’s total grip of PDP was in 2019 when against his wish Atiku emerged as PDP presidential candidate. 

Since, then he has tightened his grip on PDP.

Some people even rumoured that the reason Wike objected to Atiku’s emergence was because he was in alliance with APC; and wanted a weak candidate for PDP. This is crap!

Apparently, Wike was right in objecting to Atiku/Obi’s ticket.Nigeria is entering a new political phase. One that will be characterized by the unavoidable retirement of octogenarians from Nigerian politics. 

There will never be a return of the likes of Obasanjo and Buhari in Nigerian politics.It is high time we do away with our need for political ‘safe-hands’: leaders we are familiar & comfortable with. 

Nigerians must brace-up for this bold new world.It is this bold new world Wike saw and embraced through his rejection of Atiku/Obi ticket. PDP missed a great opportunity in 2019. 

If a younger politician had emerged from PDP, ran & failed in 2019, The party would have had time to fine-tune its strategy for 2023.

However, with Buhari (another octogenarian leader) in his last lap APC is equally in a cross-road. The way things are going APC is likely to implode. The fate of APC largely lies in Tinubu’s hands. If he is not appeased before 2023, he could play the spoiler.

Except for Lagos & Osun State governors who are still beholden to Tinubu, other South-West APC governors are playing the rebel.This is causing Tinubu great discontent. Yet, Tinubu controls Lagos & the state remain the heart of South-South.

If Tinubu is harrrazed out of APC & is forced to form a new party. Forced to be neither here nor there: Yoruba’s will be in political limbo.PDP has already layed out its grand-strategy. 

PDP wants a Northerner to emerge as Presidential candidate & a Southerner to be his Vice Presidential running mate in 2023.This is because the party believes that if an Igbo man emerges as PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023, the party’s chances of winning will be next to zero. 

So, PDP’s ultimate goal is to hand-over power to an Igbo man after a Northerner has rule for 8-year (frrom 2023 to 2031).But, the problem now is that if an Igbo man emerges as PDP’s Vice Presidential candidate it will weaken the argument for Igbo presidency in 2031.  PDP.

To solve this problem Igbo’s will need to negotiate PDP’s Vice Presidential ticket away, to someone, possibly from the South-South. The truth is that Wike being a practical-minded politician knows that a presidential ambition will be fatal for him.

So, will Wike use his influence to aid others to emerge as PDP presidential & Vice Presidential candidates, and then back-out?The Northern may be jittery of Wike’s overbearing attitude. Yet, a Tumbuwal/Wike match will be a marriage made in heaven.

PDP.

Hence: the biggest question in 2023 likely to be: will Wike (like Caesar) be the man who rejects the crown; or will he be the man who claims the crown for himself?