Opinion
Okpebholo: Uneasy calm over friendship with Wike
Written By: Abdullahi Izuagbe
02 Aug 2025 03:01 AM
According to the bible in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "evil actions and communication corrupt good manners."
I stand on this quote to request my dear Governor Monday Okpebholo to be weary of his romance with Wike, the Federal Capital Territory minister as most Edo people do not find the union rewarding for the state.
From body language speeches and physical actions it is clear that Okpebholo is deeply in love with Wike's brand of politics as well as style of governance of course, they are built on the Machiavellian crisis-ridden foundation that there are no opponents in Nigerian politics but only enemies that should be annihilated. Indeed, for Wike politics is a total war fought with the Frankenstein swagger of invincibility.
Therefore, introducing Wike into any political space is an unwholesome invitation to bring into it suffocating painful isms, schisms, bedlam, manafiki, chaos, confusion and instability. Yes, to put in a medical sociological term, Wike is a vengeful, unforgiving political virus which is only self-limiting with no treatable cure. Unless, you accept his terms of engagement, no deal.
For a start, this briefly profiled Wike as a politician. Hence, most Edo citizens are not too disposed to Okpebholo's Wikenization of Edo State currently going on. If this process isn't arrested, Edo State is en route to seeing Wike characteristically hatch Rivers State crisis in Edo. A leopard does not change its spots. He goes everywhere with them.
Dear Okpebholo. Listen to these general words of wisdom on November 25, 2016 from Dr. Nosa Lazarus in his UNBURDEN Life Show on KUFM, Benin.
The words: "If you follow wolves, you will learn how to howl. If you follow vultures, you will learn how to eat rotten meat. If you follow toothless dogs, you will only learn how to bark without biting. If you follow people who are going nowhere, you will go nowhere. But if you follow eagles, you will learn how to soar to heights of superlative excellence in good deeds. By thy association thou art known."
Certainly, from the foregoing one does not need an oracle to tell us that Wike is not an eagle in politics that Okpebholo should associate with for Edo to rise again. What our state needs is a tangential break from the immoral, unethical, money and dirty politics of Wike that specializes in the double game of being in one political party but destroying it so as to reap selfish personal benefits from the party in power. All said, Wike's politics rooted around allegations of buccaneer purchase of votes, buying of Aba-made court judgments, creating hypertensive confusion in the politics as well as placing surrogates in public office lacks essential patriotism Nigerians and Edo citizens require today, to take us to the Promise land.
Given this horrifying profile of Wike, I wonder why Okpebholo is dining with him. Or is it a case of birds of the same feather flock together? God forbid this!
Another reason why Edo people are apprehensive of Okpebholo's romance with Wike is this. Wike is coming into Edo State politics today as an imposing, de facto combative; counterpoint Godfather that is confrontational to the established de jure Edo-based godfather Senator Adams Aliu Oshiomole. A case of a stranger Wike-from Rivers State and living in the Federal Capital Territory-working in opposition to an astute homeboy politician Oshiomole. Yes, a case of a tenant overruling a landlord's directive.
Imagine, after the supreme court judgment affirmed Okpebholo's victory in the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, Oshiomole called on him to probe Obaseki the outgone governor. But not long thereafter, Wike issued a counter order to Okpebholo to avoid any probe of Obaseki. What an insult! Oshiomole is an Edo man resident in Edo who knows where it pinches. He has a locus standi on Edo issues and so sees a need to probe Obaseki. Wike ought to see Oshiomole's directive as a finality. No challenge.
The order is supposed to be holy writ from Oshiomole and Okpebholo accepted the directive. Good. But authoritarian Wike; a meddlesome interloper, thought otherwise. He decided to attack Oshiomole in the open domain stating that Obaseki's probe isn't necessary. The lesson here is that Okpebholo is heading for a doom situation in the near future because one day there is certainly going to be a major policy clash between Wike and Oshiomole over Edo matters that will cripple Okpebholo's administration.
Trust, Edo State will then end up as a big loser. Okpebholo should know that it is difficult to serve two boisterous short-fuse, mercurial and dictatorial. masters at the same time in one unbroken piece.
Wike from his antecedents is an unrepentant tempestuous politician like Oshiomole.
Now, let me do more historical fact check on Wike. You will observe that so far he is a politician known for causing both Thermidorean implosion and explosion in every political space he doesn't agree with. Rather than leave the irritating space in peace for another one, he remains in the space to vengefully annul it. For example, because he didn't get the PDP ticket to contest the 2023 presidential election he set out to destroy the party using mind games and physical political intrigues.
Also, he single-handedly 'installed' Gov Similayi Fubara as Rivers State govermor. Because the governor shook off his overbearing control from Abuja, the die was cast. Wike 'destabilized' his government leading to the imposition of a State of emergency declared in the state on the 18th of March, 2025.
Till date, the PDP and Similayi Fubara are languishing in pain because of what has come to be known as the Wike Effect driven by his conquering song "as e day sweet us, e day pain dem."
The people of Rivers State were equally traumatized by Wike's pull-down actions when his loyal 27 lawmakers battled the 3 legislators of Fubara in an eerie luciferian atmosphere of insecurity, violence, bloodletting and socio-economic paralysis before the introduction of emergency in Rivers State. In summary, whenever Wike agrees to disagree with you or disagrees to agree with you, wait for his trouble.
So, isn't it risky for easygoing Okpebholo to associate with Wike to the point of making him a governance role model in Edo State? Hmmm, dear Okpebholo be careful. You are losing supporters by your decision to idolize Wike and use him as a template for transforming Edo State. How about the templates of Ogbemudia and Oshiomole? They are far superior to that of Wike.
Yes, because of Wike/Fubara face-off, so much damage was done in Rivers State. The house of assembly was blown up and N20 billion was budgeted to rebuild it by Fubara before he was removed from office. This is not all. Rivers State lost N300m to the Nigerian Bar Association. Before his sack, Fubara had allocated the fund to the body to help out in its national conference in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State. In an apparent protest against the emergency rule in the state, they shifted the conference to another venue.
In reaction to this new arrangement, the sole administrator, retired Rear Admiral Ibas requested the N300m to be refunded to the state government. Foul!! The money wasn't returned. It was a donation, claimed the Nigerian Bar Association.
Too true, in the burgeoning crisis in Rivers State triggered by Wike's refusal to grant Fubara freedom as a governor, the state began to lose its assets in controversial circumstances.
Much more, countless allegations about financial abuses by the actors followed in staccato, military quick march. For instance, the chief of staff to Fubara confessed that in October 2024 he was promised N5 billion by Wike and his loyalists to support the impeachment of Fubara.
Still another allegation. It was that 42 senators each collected 10,000 dollars to approve the state of emergency in Rivers State with Senators Victor Umeh and Neda Imasuen supervising the illicit fund distribution. Obasanjo revealed that he was informed by a recipient of the dollar splash that the presidency even contributed 200,000 dollars to the fund shared out to the lawmakers according to Phoenix News of March 25, 2025.
Too bad!! At a time of poverty and hunger patrolling the naked streets of Nigeria killing people, so much money is allegedly being squandered on the Rivers State crisis orchestrated largely by Wike's ambition to govern the state from Abuja.
As if this financial extravaganza isn't enough, Wike allegedly hosted the 27 warring lawmakers of Rivers State in United Kingdom to a peace meeting in April 2025 attended by Tinubu from France where he was on two weeks working vacation. Fubara and his men were at the meeting also.
Indeed, much tax payers' money were spent abroad in an attempt to resolve a crisis which ought not to have occurred if only Wike let Fubara exercise undivided sovereignty as governor over Rivers State even though it is alleged that stupendously-rich Wike bankrolled Fubara's government into office.
You can see that the specific gravity of Wike's politics has the pathological potential to suffocate any political space he disagrees with. Hence, the people of Edo State dread him like the bubonic plaque. They fear that his romance with Okpebholo will in no distant time inject a political cataclysmic virus into Edo State that will distract Okpebholo from continuing his good works in the state.
Finally, the governor of Edo State is known to be a silent, achieving workaholic who allows his projects to announce his political relevance. Also, Okpebholo is noted to be a pennywise politician committed to proper public fund collection and disbursement. Therefore, there is absolutely no financial value Wike will contribute to his intelligence in money matters.
If you doubt my assertion, listen to the former aide to Wike.Opunabo Inko Tariah. In an interview with Silverbird Television on April 20, 2025. He disclosed that as a sitting governor of Rivers State, Wike declared N13 billion as monthly internally generated revenue while the real figure is N28 billion as revealed by Fubara as governor..
Of course, we need revenue transparency in Edo State which Wike cannot teach Okpebholo. Nemo dat quod, non habet. You cannot give what you don't have. Why therefore Okpebholo's intimate friendship with Wike?
Methinks, the people of Edo State under pharoaic Obaseki were literally in Egypt for 430 odd years and wasted another 40 years in the wilderness groping for the way forward to progressive, transparent, accountable and impactful governance. Okpebholo appears to be the one the cap fits today for this Aaron's job.
To succeed in this onerous assignment, he must deploy the wisdom of Solomon to choose the right calibre of people suffused with the righteousness of God. Otherwise, he will miss his way.
I stand on this quote to request my dear Governor Monday Okpebholo to be weary of his romance with Wike, the Federal Capital Territory minister as most Edo people do not find the union rewarding for the state.
From body language speeches and physical actions it is clear that Okpebholo is deeply in love with Wike's brand of politics as well as style of governance of course, they are built on the Machiavellian crisis-ridden foundation that there are no opponents in Nigerian politics but only enemies that should be annihilated. Indeed, for Wike politics is a total war fought with the Frankenstein swagger of invincibility.
Therefore, introducing Wike into any political space is an unwholesome invitation to bring into it suffocating painful isms, schisms, bedlam, manafiki, chaos, confusion and instability. Yes, to put in a medical sociological term, Wike is a vengeful, unforgiving political virus which is only self-limiting with no treatable cure. Unless, you accept his terms of engagement, no deal.
For a start, this briefly profiled Wike as a politician. Hence, most Edo citizens are not too disposed to Okpebholo's Wikenization of Edo State currently going on. If this process isn't arrested, Edo State is en route to seeing Wike characteristically hatch Rivers State crisis in Edo. A leopard does not change its spots. He goes everywhere with them.
Dear Okpebholo. Listen to these general words of wisdom on November 25, 2016 from Dr. Nosa Lazarus in his UNBURDEN Life Show on KUFM, Benin.
The words: "If you follow wolves, you will learn how to howl. If you follow vultures, you will learn how to eat rotten meat. If you follow toothless dogs, you will only learn how to bark without biting. If you follow people who are going nowhere, you will go nowhere. But if you follow eagles, you will learn how to soar to heights of superlative excellence in good deeds. By thy association thou art known."
Certainly, from the foregoing one does not need an oracle to tell us that Wike is not an eagle in politics that Okpebholo should associate with for Edo to rise again. What our state needs is a tangential break from the immoral, unethical, money and dirty politics of Wike that specializes in the double game of being in one political party but destroying it so as to reap selfish personal benefits from the party in power. All said, Wike's politics rooted around allegations of buccaneer purchase of votes, buying of Aba-made court judgments, creating hypertensive confusion in the politics as well as placing surrogates in public office lacks essential patriotism Nigerians and Edo citizens require today, to take us to the Promise land.
Given this horrifying profile of Wike, I wonder why Okpebholo is dining with him. Or is it a case of birds of the same feather flock together? God forbid this!
Another reason why Edo people are apprehensive of Okpebholo's romance with Wike is this. Wike is coming into Edo State politics today as an imposing, de facto combative; counterpoint Godfather that is confrontational to the established de jure Edo-based godfather Senator Adams Aliu Oshiomole. A case of a stranger Wike-from Rivers State and living in the Federal Capital Territory-working in opposition to an astute homeboy politician Oshiomole. Yes, a case of a tenant overruling a landlord's directive.
Imagine, after the supreme court judgment affirmed Okpebholo's victory in the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, Oshiomole called on him to probe Obaseki the outgone governor. But not long thereafter, Wike issued a counter order to Okpebholo to avoid any probe of Obaseki. What an insult! Oshiomole is an Edo man resident in Edo who knows where it pinches. He has a locus standi on Edo issues and so sees a need to probe Obaseki. Wike ought to see Oshiomole's directive as a finality. No challenge.
The order is supposed to be holy writ from Oshiomole and Okpebholo accepted the directive. Good. But authoritarian Wike; a meddlesome interloper, thought otherwise. He decided to attack Oshiomole in the open domain stating that Obaseki's probe isn't necessary. The lesson here is that Okpebholo is heading for a doom situation in the near future because one day there is certainly going to be a major policy clash between Wike and Oshiomole over Edo matters that will cripple Okpebholo's administration.
Trust, Edo State will then end up as a big loser. Okpebholo should know that it is difficult to serve two boisterous short-fuse, mercurial and dictatorial. masters at the same time in one unbroken piece.
Wike from his antecedents is an unrepentant tempestuous politician like Oshiomole.
Now, let me do more historical fact check on Wike. You will observe that so far he is a politician known for causing both Thermidorean implosion and explosion in every political space he doesn't agree with. Rather than leave the irritating space in peace for another one, he remains in the space to vengefully annul it. For example, because he didn't get the PDP ticket to contest the 2023 presidential election he set out to destroy the party using mind games and physical political intrigues.
Also, he single-handedly 'installed' Gov Similayi Fubara as Rivers State govermor. Because the governor shook off his overbearing control from Abuja, the die was cast. Wike 'destabilized' his government leading to the imposition of a State of emergency declared in the state on the 18th of March, 2025.
Till date, the PDP and Similayi Fubara are languishing in pain because of what has come to be known as the Wike Effect driven by his conquering song "as e day sweet us, e day pain dem."
The people of Rivers State were equally traumatized by Wike's pull-down actions when his loyal 27 lawmakers battled the 3 legislators of Fubara in an eerie luciferian atmosphere of insecurity, violence, bloodletting and socio-economic paralysis before the introduction of emergency in Rivers State. In summary, whenever Wike agrees to disagree with you or disagrees to agree with you, wait for his trouble.
So, isn't it risky for easygoing Okpebholo to associate with Wike to the point of making him a governance role model in Edo State? Hmmm, dear Okpebholo be careful. You are losing supporters by your decision to idolize Wike and use him as a template for transforming Edo State. How about the templates of Ogbemudia and Oshiomole? They are far superior to that of Wike.
Yes, because of Wike/Fubara face-off, so much damage was done in Rivers State. The house of assembly was blown up and N20 billion was budgeted to rebuild it by Fubara before he was removed from office. This is not all. Rivers State lost N300m to the Nigerian Bar Association. Before his sack, Fubara had allocated the fund to the body to help out in its national conference in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State. In an apparent protest against the emergency rule in the state, they shifted the conference to another venue.
In reaction to this new arrangement, the sole administrator, retired Rear Admiral Ibas requested the N300m to be refunded to the state government. Foul!! The money wasn't returned. It was a donation, claimed the Nigerian Bar Association.
Too true, in the burgeoning crisis in Rivers State triggered by Wike's refusal to grant Fubara freedom as a governor, the state began to lose its assets in controversial circumstances.
Much more, countless allegations about financial abuses by the actors followed in staccato, military quick march. For instance, the chief of staff to Fubara confessed that in October 2024 he was promised N5 billion by Wike and his loyalists to support the impeachment of Fubara.
Still another allegation. It was that 42 senators each collected 10,000 dollars to approve the state of emergency in Rivers State with Senators Victor Umeh and Neda Imasuen supervising the illicit fund distribution. Obasanjo revealed that he was informed by a recipient of the dollar splash that the presidency even contributed 200,000 dollars to the fund shared out to the lawmakers according to Phoenix News of March 25, 2025.
Too bad!! At a time of poverty and hunger patrolling the naked streets of Nigeria killing people, so much money is allegedly being squandered on the Rivers State crisis orchestrated largely by Wike's ambition to govern the state from Abuja.
As if this financial extravaganza isn't enough, Wike allegedly hosted the 27 warring lawmakers of Rivers State in United Kingdom to a peace meeting in April 2025 attended by Tinubu from France where he was on two weeks working vacation. Fubara and his men were at the meeting also.
Indeed, much tax payers' money were spent abroad in an attempt to resolve a crisis which ought not to have occurred if only Wike let Fubara exercise undivided sovereignty as governor over Rivers State even though it is alleged that stupendously-rich Wike bankrolled Fubara's government into office.
You can see that the specific gravity of Wike's politics has the pathological potential to suffocate any political space he disagrees with. Hence, the people of Edo State dread him like the bubonic plaque. They fear that his romance with Okpebholo will in no distant time inject a political cataclysmic virus into Edo State that will distract Okpebholo from continuing his good works in the state.
Finally, the governor of Edo State is known to be a silent, achieving workaholic who allows his projects to announce his political relevance. Also, Okpebholo is noted to be a pennywise politician committed to proper public fund collection and disbursement. Therefore, there is absolutely no financial value Wike will contribute to his intelligence in money matters.
If you doubt my assertion, listen to the former aide to Wike.Opunabo Inko Tariah. In an interview with Silverbird Television on April 20, 2025. He disclosed that as a sitting governor of Rivers State, Wike declared N13 billion as monthly internally generated revenue while the real figure is N28 billion as revealed by Fubara as governor..
Of course, we need revenue transparency in Edo State which Wike cannot teach Okpebholo. Nemo dat quod, non habet. You cannot give what you don't have. Why therefore Okpebholo's intimate friendship with Wike?
Methinks, the people of Edo State under pharoaic Obaseki were literally in Egypt for 430 odd years and wasted another 40 years in the wilderness groping for the way forward to progressive, transparent, accountable and impactful governance. Okpebholo appears to be the one the cap fits today for this Aaron's job.
To succeed in this onerous assignment, he must deploy the wisdom of Solomon to choose the right calibre of people suffused with the righteousness of God. Otherwise, he will miss his way.
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