By CHARLES IWUOHA

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has launched a blistering attack on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of sacrificing Hon. O.K. Chinda’s political future on the altar of personal ambition and political self-preservation.

Eze described Wike’s reported backing of Chinda as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 Rivers State governorship election as a calculated political misadventure, arguing that the move exposes a glaring contradiction between Wike’s previously expressed position on the governorship question and his current political calculations.

In a statement issued on Monday, the ADC chieftain claimed that Wike is pursuing a politics of personal domination, in which political allies are allegedly deployed, manipulated and discarded whenever their usefulness to his ambitions expires.

According to him, Chinda, a former Attorney-General of Rivers State under Chibuike Amaechi’s administration, risks becoming the latest casualty of Wike’s alleged politics of convenience and betrayal.

“Wike has dug Hon. O.K. Chinda’s political grave, and all that remains is for Chinda to recognise the danger of the political trap into which he has allegedly been drawn.

“No individual, irrespective of political experience or ambition, should surrender his political future to a political godfather whose overriding concern appears to be the preservation of his own relevance.

“What exactly does Wike want to achieve by promoting an Ikwerre candidate after publicly acknowledging the political difficulty of selling another Ikwerre man for the governorship following 16 years of leadership by two sons of the same ethnic extraction?

“Is this a genuine attempt to advance Chinda’s political ambition, or is it another elaborate political calculation designed to secure Wike’s bargaining power ahead of 2027? Rivers people deserve answers, Eze said.

Eze argued that Wike’s 2022 position haunts his 2027 political calculations and interests.

Recalling that Wike’s reported remarks of December 24, 2022, when he counselled Hon. Austin Okpara to abandon his governorship ambition on the grounds that he was an Ikwerre man.

Eze also quoted Wike as saying: “Amaechi finished eight years as governor; I’m going to finish eight years as governor too. It will be difficult to sell another Ikwerre person as governor for another eight years.”

The ADC Chieftain argued that Wike’s reported support for Chinda, who is also of Ikwerre extraction, raises serious questions about consistency, fairness and the sincerity of his political calculations.

“Was Wike wrong in 2022, or has his position changed simply because his personal political interests have changed?

“If ethnic rotation and fairness were legitimate considerations when another Ikwerre aspirant was involved, why should those same considerations suddenly become irrelevant when the candidate is perceived to be within Wike’s political orbit?

“This is the height of political inconsistency. Principles cannot be invoked against political opponents and conveniently discarded when they become inconvenient to personal ambition.

“Rivers State does not belong to Wike, and no ethnic group should be treated as the exclusive owner of its political future. The governorship is not a personal inheritance to be distributed at the pleasure of one man’s whims and caprice” Eze declared.

The ADC chieftain further condemned what he described as Wike’s overbearing influence on Rivers State politics, accusing the FCT Minister and President Bola Tinubu’s administration of contributing to the disruption of democratic governance in the state through the declaration of emergency rule in 2025.

Eze maintained that the political crisis that culminated in the emergency intervention raised fundamental questions about democratic accountability, constitutional governance and the protection of the mandate freely given to Governor Siminalayi Fubara by the electorate.

He alleged that Wike used his influence within the federal political establishment to weaken Fubara’s administration and ultimately undermine the political aspirations of those who refused to submit to his authority.

“The people of Rivers State did not elect a political overlord to determine who governs them, which ethnic group should produce their governor or whose political ambition deserves to survive.

“Rivers State is not Wike’s private estate, and its people are not political pawns to be moved around a chessboard for the convenience of one diabolic, wicked and demented individual.

“The declaration of emergency rule and the subsequent political developments in the state have deepened public concerns about democratic stability.

“Those who participated in, supported or benefited from actions that undermined the state’s democratic institutions must be prepared to answer to the people.

“No amount of political manoeuvring can erase the importance of constitutional government, the people’s mandate and the right of Rivers citizens to choose their leaders without intimidation or manipulation, Eze warned.

According to Eze, Rivers voters must scrutinise the records, motives and political alliances of all aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections rather than allow political loyalty or ethnic calculations to dictate their choices.

Eze contended that the governorship question must be approached with sensitivity to Rivers State’s ethnic diversity and the legitimate aspirations of its constituent communities, including the Ijaw, Ogoni, Kalabari and Ikwerre peoples, etc.

It was Eze’s contention that no ethnic nationality should be presumed inherently superior or permanently entitled to political leadership as Wike is assuming Ikwere people to be.

“After eight years under Amaechi and another eight years under Wike, it is legitimate for Rivers people to have an open, honest and democratic conversation about inclusion, equity and the rotation of political leadership.

“This is not an argument against the Ikwerre people. They are an integral and important part of Rivers State, just as the Ijaw, Ogoni, Kalabari and other communities are.

“The issue is whether political leadership should be treated as the exclusive preserve of one group or as an opportunity for every qualified Rivers son or daughter to serve.

“Any attempt to portray other ethnic nationalities as politically inferior or permanently unqualified to govern Rivers State is unacceptable, Eze said.

In addition, he submitted that no candidate should be rejected merely because of ethnic identity.

In his words, “What matters is fairness, competence, broad acceptance and the people’s democratic choice.

“Wike cannot preach ethnic arithmetic when it serves his political calculations and abandon it when it threatens his preferred arrangement, Eze posited.

He therefore appealed to the people of Rivers State to reject Wike and his political hypocrisy in whatever form it appears.

Moreso, Eze hailed the Fubara Support Group for outrightly rejecting what he described as Wike’s self-serving ‘Rainbow Coalition’, alleging that the initiative could become another vehicle for political bargaining rather than a sincere platform for advancing the interests of Rivers people.

Eze drew parallels with the political alliance involving the PDP G-5 governors in the run-up to the 2023 presidential election, arguing that the experience should serve as a warning to political actors contemplating similar arrangements with Wike, ahead of 2027 general elections.

“The truth is that Wike’s political antecedents provide sufficient reasons for Rivers people and Nigerians to be cautious in associating with him.

“In 2023, he and other members of the PDP G-5 pursued a political course that ultimately reshaped their relationships with the party and the emerging federal power structure.

“After the 2023 election, Wike was appointed the FCT Minister under the present Tinubu government. Where are the four other G-5 governors, this is a fundamental question, begging for answer.

“Today, the emergence of the so-called Rainbow Coalition has continued to raise questions about its real purpose, its beneficiaries and the political commitments behind it.

“I commend the Fubara Support Group for refusing to be drawn into any arrangement that its members believe does not serve their interests but for one man, who thinks he knows it all.

“No political group should surrender its independence merely to secure access to power or curry favour with an influential political figure.

“Political alliances must be built on trust, clearly defined objectives and mutual respect, and not on the assumption that one man must determine the political destiny of everybody else, Eze declared.

Further more, the ADC chieftain warned against any attempt to undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections through voter intimidation, inducements or the abuse of security agencies.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, security agencies, political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to uphold electoral neutrality and protect the right of every eligible voter to make an independent choice.

“Let nobody mistake the patience of Rivers people for surrender. Rivers is not a conquered state, and its citizens are not subjects waiting for instructions from any egocentric political master.

“The 2027 elections must be decided by the ballot, not by intimidation, political blackmail, vote-buying or the misuse of state institutions. Every eligible voter must be allowed to participate freely, and every lawful vote must count.

“Those who believe they can determine the outcome of the election through political pressure or the manipulation of public institutions are underestimating the power of an electorate determined to defend its democratic rights, Eze warned.

He therefore urged the people of Rivers State to scrutinise the political records of President Tinubu, Wike and all other political actors seeking their support, insisting that electoral choices must be guided by accountability, democratic values and the overall interests of the state.

Turning directly to Hon. O.K. Chinda, Chief Eze expressed concern that a politician with experience in public service could risk his political standing by aligning his governorship ambition with a political arrangement whose long-term objectives remain open to question.

He urged Chinda to independently assess the viability of his ambition, the breadth of his political support and the consequences of becoming associated with Wike and his divisive political strategy.

“Hon. Chinda must ask himself some difficult questions. Is his political ambition being advanced on the strength of his own vision, credibility and acceptance among Rivers people, or is he being positioned to serve a larger political interest that may have little to do with his personal future?

“A man who has served Rivers State at a high level should understand that political endorsements are not guarantees of electoral success.

“I want Chinda to understand that the support of a Wike cannot substitute for the confidence of the electorate.

“You must not allow personal ambition to blind you to the contradictions surrounding this political arrangement.

“Chinda must understand that when the calculations of political godfathers change, yesterday’s favoured allies can become tomorrow’s abandoned projects, Eze reminded Chinda.

He stated that Rivers State needs leaders who can stand on their own convictions, build bridges across ethnic and political divisions, and place the collective interests of the people above the ambitions of any individual., and not people like Wike, who conspired with the Tinubu administration to declare a state of emergency in Rivers state.

Eze, while appealing to Rivers people to reject what he described as the politics of domination, exclusion and personal aggrandisement, while insisting that the 2027 governorship contest must be an opportunity to deepen democratic participation and restore confidence in public institutions.

He maintained that no political coalition, individual or federal power bloc has the legitimate authority to dictate the state’s future against the wishes of its people.

“Wike may assume he holds the key to Rivers State politics, but the ultimate power belongs to the electorate.

“No political structure, no matter how powerful, can permanently suppress the aspirations of a determined people.

“The attempt to position Hon. Chinda amid these political contradictions may ultimately prove to be a grave miscalculation. If Chinda fails to examine the interests behind the arrangement, he may discover too late that his ambition has become collateral in another man’s struggle for relevance, Eze submitted.

According to Eze, Rivers State is bigger than Wike, and its political future is bigger than Chinda just as its democratic destiny is bigger than any make-believe contraption called Rainbow Coalition, merely assembled to serve the interests of Wike and a select few.

“Rivers people must remain vigilant, insist on credible candidates, defend their votes and refuse to mortgage their future to Wike’s political expediency.

“In 2027, Rivers people must decide for themselves. No self arrogated demi god or godfather like Wike, no shambolic Rainbow Coalition nor individual can rightfully claim ownership of their mandate.

“Rivers is not conquered, Rivers is not Wike’s private estate, and its democracy must not be held hostage by the ambitions of one democratic tyrant and serial betrayer,” Eze stated.