President Tinubu And The Wike Albatross

On the now infamous altercation between Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike and the young Navy Officer Lt. AM Yerima, one factor seems to be the common denominator; both parties cited President Tinubu as their source of authority to justify their stance.

Wike was heard in the video of the incident as claiming that by his conduct in blocking his access to the disputed property, the officer was not only obstructing an officer of government in lawful exercise of his duty, he was also acting in disregard of constituted authority under our democratic system of government.

The military on the other hand in defense of the officer’s action stated what he did was in keeping with the code of service rules of engagement. The military further stated that the apparent disrespect shown to the officer who was in uniform by Wike calling him ‘’a fool’’ was a clear affront to the military institution whose Commander-in-Chief is the President Tinubu himself. On the basis of that, the military not only defended officer’s action, it called on President Tinubu to ask Wike to apologise.

If President Tinubu is aware of this hiatus (I believe he is) he probably did not consider it sufficiently serious enough to address the matter. In any case as the Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and his Junior partner Bello Mutawalle in the ministry and the Defence Headquarters have addressed the issue perhaps the president may have decided that there was no need to delve into it further. Or perhaps President Tinubu may have seen the wisdom as he is wont to, or been advised that like similar imbroglios that may have happened in the life of this administration, this too will come to pass and Nigerians will soon  shift their attention to other things.

But I think on the basis of the weight and significance of the altercation between Wike and the young officer, President Tinubu needs to assess the incident critically for the sake of his administration and the nation.

First as far as incidences involving Wike are concerned, this is the threshold point. When the president appointed Wike to the position of FCT Minister, many hailed it as a prime commendable example of non-partisanship. It was seen in many quarters that although Wike belonged to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) by appointing him to such a high cabinet position President Tinubu was willing to work with whoever was worthy regardless of party affiliation to help the administration achieve its goals in the overall interest of the country.

But almost three years into the life of the administration, Wike has been unable to rise to the level of nuanced conduct expected in his duties as FCT Minister and as a senior political figure in the country. Although he has won praises for the massive infrastructural projects undertaken by him in the FCT, by all accounts Wike’s tenure has been marked by coarseness and boorish behaviors incompatible with his status.

Through all Wike’s actions, as with the present case, which have clearly crossed the borders of propriety, President Tinubu has continued to look askance, without the necessary intervention to straighten things out. This has led Nigerians to believe that President Tinubu rates keeping Wike in close political proximity and relevance above the mandatory statutory requirements and principles of constitutional democracy which Wike had serially desecrated in both his official and political conduct.

In this regard, I am reminded of the statement credited Bob Haldeman Chief of Staff to US President Richard Nixon when he said in an attempt to justify the unconscionable and unconstitutional actions (the unauthorised break-ins into the offices of the opposition Democratic Party situated at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C) which he supervised that eventually led to the ignominious resignation of President Nixon. ‘’Every President needs his son of a bitch, and I am Nixon’s,’’ stated Haldeman as he was eventually found guilty and convicted. I also recall that during the administration of Ronald Reagan in America as reports steadily mounted about the human rights violations of dictator Anastasio Somosa in Nicaragua, American officials in response cryptically stated ‘’ Somosa may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch”. Instructively both ‘’sons of bitches’’ were eventually met wrath of the law for their troubles.

From all indications President Tinubu is not inclined to rein-in Wike for reasons that are patently obvious. Wike is the president’s cat’s paw in the 2027 political calculations. The fact that Wike has not shown any courtesy to virtually every figure in Rivers and Bayelsa state including former President Goodluck Jonathan does not seem to register enough outrage on President Tinubu to caution Wike and rein-in his excesses.

The latest incident that pitted Wike against the military establishment is a threshold that should wake President Tinubu to do the needful on Wike. Ordinarily Nigerians are not enamoured on the military especially as regards their frequent confrontations and disregard for civil rights. But it should surprise and alarm President Tinubu that an overwhelming number of Nigerians have tended to support the young naval officer in his stand off against Wike on the incident. It should also be a matter of concern to President Tinubu and his administration that the entire military establishment, who are the custodians of national security, have risen solidly against Wike. It is not a wise move to brazenly provoke and seek to humiliate the military as Wike did on a matter that ought to be resolved in structured, nuanced way.

That tells us that Wike is out on a limb among an overwhelming number of Nigerians and crucially, among the military. Whatever President Tinubu is keeping Wike for in his cabinet and administration, with the latest incident involving him and the repercussions following that, nobody needs to tell the president that Wike is surplus to requirements. If the President insists on not reading the tea leaves and doing the needful on Wike, who has for all practical purposes become an albatross, then we should all keep our eyes on the Sparrow.