By Straightnews
Ahead of the October 5 local government elections, major political gladiators in Nigeria’s Rivers State are embroiled in a ‘two-faced politics’ to maintain their dominance in the state.
gathered that the bodies of Governor Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara and Nyesom Wike, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, are in one party, but their souls belong to another different party.
Governor Fubara, who won under Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is unsettled in the party, since the party’s structure is not in his hands, forcing him to have one leg in another party.
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Similarly, Nyesom Wike, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, a member of PDP, is serving under the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
The clash of interest, the online newspaper, learnt has further fragmented the party and eroded members’ loyalty.
Owing to his influence in PDP, Nyesom is entrusted with the party’s leadership in Rivers against the known PDP’s law that Governor Fubara should be the Leader of the party as it is done in other states.
Recall that during the 2023 Presidential election, Wike instead of ensuring PDP’s success at the poll threw his weight on APC.
For instance, APC scored 130,209 votes or 35.20% while PDP got 70,579 votes or 19.08%.
As a result of the altercation, Governor Fubara has directed 23 local government chairmen in the state to contest the forthcoming local government elections under the banner of the All People’s Party (APP).
The decision comes in the wake of Governor Fubara losing control of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) structure in Rivers State to former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The local government elections are scheduled for October 5, 2024.
Wike has maintained significant control over the PDP structure in the state, causing friction between the two leaders.
The power struggle has culminated in Governor Fubara opting to back the APP, a move many see as a bid to counter Wike’s dominance in the state.
With the local government elections fast approaching, this move is expected to reshape the political dynamics in Rivers State.
The APP, previously a lesser-known party in the region, now stands to gain considerable traction, backed by the governor and the incumbent local government chairmen.
However, political analysts see that due to power of incumbency, PDP may lose most local government areas while APP may win many.
At the end of the muscle-wracking, PDP and APC’s foothold in the state may be unsteady.
