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Odili, the coward, sycophant, displayed my picture in his toilet – Wike
“When I was governor, my pictures everywhere in his house. Sitting room, bedroom, kitchen, even in the toilets. My pictures were everywhere. But today, all the pictures have been removed,” were the words with which Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), emphasised the extent Peter Odili, former Governor of Rivers State in kowtowing towards any government in power for his personal gains.
Wike in an immediate clapback to the lacerating comments Odili, civilian governor of the state between 1999 and 2007, accusing him of wedging a war against Sim Fubara, his successor and incumbent, for denying him the opportunity of pocketing the resources of the state, said if anyone was guilty of greed and avarice, he (Odili), should carry the trophy.
Odili, who spoke at a Christmas ballad he organised in honour of Fubara and his family, had praised his guest for summoning an unusual fortitude to confront Wike’s alleged desire to capture Rivers State through ferocious but unnecessary political war, wondering why the FCT Minister would be so greedy to attempt to destroy the state.
“it is now over 12 months, since the 25th October 2023, when a fierce existential fight, though unnecessary, was waged against Governor Fubara over the soul of Rivers State. Governor Fubara confronted the challenge, prevented the quest by one man to capture the State as a private estate, emancipated Rivers people, steadied governance and made civil servants and Rivers people happier as it used to be until he left office in 2007,” Odili was quoted.
But at a thanksgiving service organised by Martin Chike Amaewhule, factional speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Wike fired back at the former governor, in which government he served as a local government chairman, describing him as a coward who chickened out of his quest to become President because of the fear of former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Also stressing Odili’s alleged sycophancy and greed, which had made him to praise any governor in the state to high heavens for his personal gains, such as he was now showing to Fubara, his new find, the Minister asked: “Must you be a trader all the time? As governor for eight years, what else are you looking for?”
Regretting the situation he accused Odili of dragging himself, he added: “You know, I didn’t want to say anything but somebody called me last night, and told me what someone said in the social media. I said until I read it myself. This morning, I read in the newspapers what our former governor, Sir Dr Peter Odili, said.
“What did he say? He said that the present governor has been able to stop one man who wanted to convert Rivers State to his personal estate. ’Between him and myself, who has turned Rivers State to his personal estate? His wife is a Chairman of Governing Council, his daughter is a commissioner, his other daughter is a judge and he is the general overseer. Who has now turned Rivers State to his private estate? I am sure if care is not taken, if there is a chance, he can even arrange a marriage for the governor.
“It was his nephew, his late elder brother’s son who was recommended for commissioner. He took the slot and gave it to his own daughter. Someone who didn’t remember to stand for the son of his late elder brother, is that an elder statesman? It is painful that Dr Odili, out of political sycophancy, had forgotten all he said in the past.
“All of you here remember when I was governor, this same Odili praised me to high heavens. In fact, he said then that all past governors in Rivers State combined did not do better than me. In 2007, after he left office, he couldn’t come near power in the state because Amaechi was the governor then. He was gone! Like somebody said that God will use someone to lift up someone. When I came in as governor in 2015, I won’t use the word resurrected, but I brought him back to life.
“All of us know about PAMO University. But for us, there wouldn’t have been anything called PAMO University. Rivers State was sponsoring 100 students per session and for every semester, each of the students was paying nothing less than N5m. Then, Rivers people were attacking me up and down. I personally called Julius Berger to build a mansion for him to live. He was calling everyone to the house then, telling them, come and see what Wike has done for me. Wike has shown me love. He was taking them round the house.
“Now, because you have organized a Christmas carol for the governor, I didn’t say you should not do your Christmas carol, but why reduce yourself to such a laughing stock? People will still see it on television how he was telling the whole world then how God used me to bring him back to life politically. Why not do your Christmas carol, collect what you can collect and leave me alone? The governor, who all of us made, has not spent one year in office and the same Odili was already saying the governor has beaten the records of all the past governors of Rivers State.
“When I was there, he said I had surpassed the records of all the past governors, including himself. What can he even show that he did in his eight years as governor? But a governor has not spent one year, you are saying he has done more than all the past governors. You spent eight years as governor and someone who hasn’t spent one year has surpassed your records? What manner of elder talks like that? Is that what an elder statesman should be known for?
“What can I learn from this kind of elder? What kind of advice can one get from him? This moment you are saying something, the next moment you are saying something else. You see, if your children begin to ask you, is this not the same man you were praising before? What would you tell them? When I was plotting who will be governor after me, was he (Odili) there? Then, he complained about this governor, saying he couldn’t stand to talk to the public. But today, he is organizing Christmas for the same governor he was against then.
“He has forgotten all that he said in the past. I named this after you, I named that after your wife. What have I not done? You said we should not be part of the government, we have left. We are managing, you have taken assembly money, they are not dying of hunger and they will not die of hunger. We are okay.
“I am focusing on my job in Abuja and all these sycophancy won’t take him to the level I have attained. This is a man who wanted to run for president then, he didn’t have the balls, and he chickened out. Simply because Obasanjo said no, he would not contest, he ran away. Because of him, I never invited Obasanjo to Rivers State to commission projects. I felt it would humiliate him.’’
Apparently to press home a vital message, Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State, on Tuesday, stormed the National Assembly complex, venue for the on-going, electoral reform protests with his son in tow.
The former governor, who for eight years, served as Minister of Transportation in the government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, said the presence of his son, a medical doctor, was to serve dual purposes – to emphasise that the protest did not exclude anyone and for him to attend to the medical needs of the protesters.
The protest, which began on Monday, was called to demonstrate against the Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results in future elections in Nigeria, particularly that of 2027.
Stressing that his son had to come along in case the demonstration turned violent and injuries are sustained, the former Minister, explained that he came with his son to demonstrate his belief that during major protests, leaders should be at the forefront with their families.
Amaechi, currently a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), called on Nigerians to rise up against the bad governance of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of being opposed to electronic transmission of election results because it feared losing elections.
His words: “I believe that the opposition parties should come out – PDP, ADC, everybody should be out – to protest against the attempt of one party. If we come out, and they say the opposition has hijacked (the protest), what is APC doing? Are they not hijacking?
“What are they afraid of? I thought they said they have 31 governors and Tinubu is not Jonathan. The only way a good politician will know he has done well is by the people.”
He further stated that while Senate President Godswill Akpabio and President Bola Tinubu may ignore the demands of Nigerians, opposition parties and civil society organisations would persist until the decision is reversed.
Meanwhile, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force barricaded major roads leading to the National Assembly, where the Senate is scheduled to hold an emergency plenary session on Tuesday.
The protest is being led by human rights activist Aisha Yusuf, alongside several civil society groups that initiated the demonstration on Monday.
The Senate, has pledged to resolve the issues surrounding Electronic Transmission of election results in the 2027 general elections, to the satisfaction of Nigerians, explaining that it is not immune to public voices.
Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, told hundreds of protesters besieged the National Assembly complex in Abuja, demanding that lawmakers explicitly provide for mandatory, real-time electronic transmission of results in the amended Electoral Act, that the lawmakers were not deaf to the issues and would act appropriately.
Vanguard quoted the Senate spokesman as saying that Nigerians had the right to ventilate their grievances peacefully, stressing that demonstrations were part of democratic practice.
“The Senate is not averse to Nigerians showing their feelings. We are in a democracy, and people have the right to express themselves peacefully. Tomorrow (today), we will be having an emergency sitting to approve the votes and proceedings of our last sitting.
“As a Senate, we are not averse to Nigerians expressing their views in a very peaceful manner. We are in a democracy, and we will do what we have been elected to do for the people of Nigeria.”
The assurance came as support grew for the ET demand with individuals and groups including Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Movement for Credible Elections (MCE), and Fixpolitics, lending their voices.
By Sunny Igboango
Very Dark Man, you’re right to take umbrage against Obi Cubana for being coopted into the Tinubu campaigns. You’re right to have felt the way you did that a whole Obinna Iyiegbu would be reduced to singing that On Your Mandate we shall stand mantra.
Like you, many Nigerians are utterly disappointed! Now, who wouldn’t be? Obi Cubana has not only come to represent the grass to grace narrative every youth in Nigeria should emulate, but a special and specific brand, and like the golden serpent, ought to be mounted on a standard where each youth suffering from the snake bites the scotch-earth policies of the APC government has spread on the Nigerian landscape, should look up to for healing.
So, to see him descend from that Olympian height to kowtow to the level of renditioning that awful song, must be as disgusting as it is gutting. I’m equally gutted as I’m sure most Nigerians are.
But then here is where you’re wrong. You’re wrong when use that singular act to define the Igbo people. You gave the impression that Obi Cubana, by signing into that notorious project, represents Ndigbo and that, that gamble will make an impact in deciding where the pendulum of Ndigbo will swing in the 2027 presidential election. Nada! Negative. Not at all!
Now, let me tell you from the outset that it is a wasted effort – I mean that gambit. As far as what the political decision of the South East will be in that election – it is completely wasted without mincing word.
Speaking the way you did confirms that you VDM know very little about Ndigbo. But what you don’t know you’ll learn and some of us are here to teach you.
Now, let us take just a little peek into history to help you understand a small bit about the Igbo persona – I mean the character of Ndigbo either individually and collectively.
VDM! I don’t know how much you know about The Igbo Landing. Have you heard about it? Let me give you a snippet – not the whole story – just a scratch of it. It was about a group of Igbo men captured from their land and transported by ship into slavery in America.
But right there in the ship, they had discussed among themselves that instead of becoming slaves in a foreign land death was the better option. They plotted their operation in whispers as they lay like sardines inside the ship.
You know what they did? Immediately they emerged, even still bounded in chains, they lounged on their captors, not only fought and defeated them, but knowing that there was no escape despite their temporally victory, they collectively plunged themselves into the sea and sunk deep down.
In case you believe I just told you a fairy tale, go and read up the details. Most of the story was written by the white man. It is there available.
The Igbo tribe is the only people in human history known to have carried out such an escapade. VDM! Did you know why Igbo slaves were the cheapest at that time? Simple! They were the ones that questioned the orders of their masters and in many cases, refused to carry them out, choosing punishment or even death as a result.
So, for the slave merchants, whenever the products on sale were Igbo, they were sold last as cheap commodities, some as giveaways. Yes! As gbanjo! Why? Oyibo wanted those who could work without question with minimal resistance and Igbo slaves were not with those qualities. To them, resistance was bad for business and the Igbo spelled resistance and therefore, bad business.
What are we even talking about? Certainly, you’re not born during the war. But you could ask your parents to tell you. Look at that war? Is it not enough example to indicate who Ndigbo really are? This was a dot in the circle, as Buhari once described them – a group of people on a tiny space in Nigeria. But look at how they were able to hold on.
Within that tiny enclave came enough resistance, enough resilience and enough power that contained the combined fire power from entire Nigeria with Egypt, UK, US and Russia providing all the supports they could muster. Who else is capable of doing so?
Som, you talk about Obi Cubana when there is no stake that requires the collective Igbo spirit. That is when such characters matter in the scheme of things.
In the instant case Ndigbo have identified Peter Obi as the go-man and there is no going back. What will surprise you is that the choice of Obi, has very little to do with tribal thinking. It has more to do with the larger picture before them. In that picture, Tinubu doesn’t count.
The way things stand today, go and get 10 more Obi Cubanas, add 20 Charles Chukwuma Soludos and 50 more South East governors and combine them, Tinubu will not get 10,000 votes in the entire South East in 2027. I’m not exaggerating! From where will he get it? Who would do the voting and what would be the person’s convictions?
Yes! If you want to the Tinubu capable of competing with Obi in Igboland, then go and get the Tinubu of 2003-2007 or even Tinubu of 2014. That’s the Tinubu they will identify with and not the Tinubu that has been tainted and inherited the Buhari spirit. As I said, it has very little to do with tribe. Tribal politics means very little to the Igbo man.
In fact, to prove this, put a Yemi Osinbajo on the ballot today and see how the Igbo will react to him. He’s a Yoruba man. He has even worked with Buhari. But put him on the ballot and see Obi struggling to beat him in the South east.
So, don’t worry yourself VDM. You saw what happened to Soludo during the inauguration of the Nnewi Catholic Church Cathedral when Obi’s name was mentioned. Is it such people that you’re going to tell to vote for Tinubu. Soludo cannot even convince his own siblings or his household to join him in that odious project, no matter what he uses.
In fact, the mistake the APC and those engaging in this lost project are making today is the same NPN made ahead of the 1983 election when they believed that bringing back the late Ikemba Nnewi Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu would swing the Igbo votes for them. They wanted to ride on the wings of Ojukwu’s war record. But it was a futile attempt.
In the same vein, relying on that playbook in 2027 will backfire. In fact, go and bring out Nnamdi Kanu today – he is about one of the most popular Igbo currently – stand him on a podium and let him make a positive comment on Tinubu, let alone a suggestion that Ndigbo should vote for him and witness how everything about him crumbles.
I repeat, if Tinubu is able to garner up 10,000 votes in Igbo land, it will be a miracle! So, the only option available is toeing the rigging templates that NPN resorted to, which gave them the infamous landslide victories of 1983 and we all saw how that ended. As for organic votes of Ndigbo, that one is a no-go area.
Even Obi Cubana knows that much. He’s aware that even that young boy he started business for or the young girl he saw through school would disappoint him on election day if it comes to a choice between Obi and Tinubu.
Ndigbo have rejected the Jagaban the same way they rejected Buhari. So, the acquiescence of Obi Cubana in that wacky project, is purely a business decision. Of what use would it be to waste his resources or jeopardise his business for something he knows won’t bear any fruit?
It is not that he is dealing with an Obafemi Awolowo or Lateef Jakande government that favour physical development and economic enhancement over politics. Those in charge today, will think nothing of it to send bulldozers to level down the Cubana Nightclub at GRA Ikeja overnight if it comes to that. They’re that vicious. They’ve done worse than that already.
All it will take is to remind him that he is Igbo and accuse him of trying to take over Lagos or find any other flimsy or convenient excuse to latch on. Whether it makes any sense or not is another kettle of fish altogether. A mindset that decided to change all streets bearing Igbo names overnight, regardless of the history behind them, what will it take them to destroy that imposing structure and forget the revenue and other important purposes it serves.
They’re that desperate. Afterall, haven’t they started with the same Cubana in Abuja? That was a test-run to show him that they mean business.
So, VDM, instead of disappointment or disgust, let us show pity to our brother, Obi Cubana! What is greater than the cricket has visited it in its hole. Even Peter Obi will not encourage him to be too reckless with his choices knowing the consequences.
If it is about Igbo votes, forget about that one.
Obi Cubana’s attempt will be as effective as the fingernails of the lizard on the trunk of an iroko tree. Recall that Ojukwu contested presidency twice, without making any impact. That the late Ikemba could be given such a cold shoulder despite his gripping influence on Ndigbo, is an indication of how the Igbo man thinks.
As for an Igboman becoming President. The possibility has already been proven. Obi won the 2023 election with wide margin across the country. But for the machinations of Yakubu Mahmoud’s INEC with their technical glitches, he would be President today.
He will win again, ceteris paribus. In fact, if he secured 90 per cent in South East in 2023, expect him to up the stakes to 99 per cent in 2027. Not with the disaster Tinubu and his government have become.The only option the APC will have even with 10 Obi Cubanas and 50 Soludos is to rig the election like the NPN did. And that will be a national problem.
So, VDM, where your job is cut out for you. That job is not the South East. That one is sealed. You should be talking about the entire country. Mobilise 50 million Nigerians to storm the National Assembly next week. Get them to make it mandatory for the INEC to transmit election results into the IReV as part of the new electoral law for 2027.
After that, go and take a good rest. Even go on holidays with that your babe – satisfied that you’ve delivered – you’ve given Nigeria a secure process for free and fair election. That way, before the noon on election day, Peter Obi, an Igbo man will be declared the President-elect and on April 29, 2027 Tinubu’s disastrous government will come to an end.
Of course, that feat will not be achieved by the thumbprints of Ndigbo alone! Hausa, Yoruba, Efik, Edo, Nupe, Gbagi, Kanuri, Igbira, Tiv, Ijaw, Ogoni – Nigeria will have theirs in it. That way, Nigeria is set for the future and your decade-long advocacy for the good of Nigerians will have meaning.
My name is Sunny Igboanugo, I’m The Tiny Voice!
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