…….Governor at a crossroad with Obuah
Government inside sources have explained the intrigues and power play behind the inability of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to form a cabinet.
Three months after Wike took office for another term of four years in a keenly contested election, the governor is yet to form a cabinet resulting in sluggish response to issues around governance in the state.
But inside sources say the governor is wary of ambitions of people around him as he doesn’t know who to trust.
“The plot over who will replace Wike in 2023 began the very moment he was declared the winner of the election on 3 April”, a source said.
The source added that the governor has begun despising those at the corridors of power in brick House because they showed their hands too quickly.
The source said the power brokers are those whose loyalists will be likely shortlisted for the cabinet jobs, giving them substantial control in the government, adding that that is Wike’s fear. He said they have caged him.
Recall that Governor Wike had on 13 June urged the clergy to pray for God to give him the wisdom to appoint officials that will be committed to the development of Rivers State during his second term.
“I need your prayers for God to bring to me the right people who will work with me. People who will work with me for the good of our State.
“People do all manner of things these days to manipulate the system. We need God’s guidance for people who will be sincere to work for the state”, the governor was quoted as saying.
Several Government House sources told theportcitynews that the Sole Administrator of Rivers State Waste Management Agency, RIWAMA, Bro Felix Obuah, is one of the persons angling to take over from Wike in 2023.
Obuah, it was gathered has made his ambition known, further dividing Wike’s loyalists.
A source who does not want to be named said, “Obuah believes that if Wike could get there against all the odds, he could also take a shot.”
“This has angered those from Riverine and they are of the opinion that if Obuah steps in to contest, they will move to APC and achieve their mission.
“Those from Riverine are angry that Odili, Amaechi and Wike are all from upland and if Obuah contests again, it will look as if the other regions do not have capable people.
“It is going to be a divided house and Wike might not be able to produce a successor as most people will desert him,” he said
Obuah’s ambition also led to Wike withholding funds for RIWAMA, resulting in the filth that has enveloped Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor lately. Wike is also desperately trying to clip Obuah’s wing in order to render him politically irrelevant.
Other inside sources also said that Wike is afraid of forming a cabinet as most of the persons who worked for him in his first term are loyal to Obuah.
“This loyalty also led to the sacking of Mr Shedrack Chukwu, the former commissioner for power who was dismissed because of his closeness to Obuah”.
They added that from the look of things, PDP in Rivers State will be balkanized, giving the APC an upper hand to produce a governor in 2023.
