Magnus Abe, Nyesom Wike, The Mythology Of The Brain Box And The APC Ticket (Part III)

By Ogbonna Nwuke

To get there, Abe should emerge as a unique and distinct brand in the political marketplace, that is, if all things were to be equal as economists usually say.
Of course, there was the slogan which said Abe is able. It was catchy; something which defined the man’s strong sale point and projected strength of character, tenacity, stability and reliability.
Along the path, things got bumpy and rough. There were warning calls within the party to slow down to heed; the perception among Abe lovers that there were attempts to shoot the aspiration down to deal with; the growing feeling that being able could include a strong run and confrontation at the party level.
Surprisingly, what was supposed to be a test of resilience and to an extent, diplomacy; something that could have called for a new approach to overcome obstacles, real or imagined, spurn out of control. The die was cast and the rest is either history or history in the making.
Looking at the romance that’s blossoming between Abe and Wike at the moment, can Abe say that he is emerging as a unique brand?
If Magnus actually wants the ticket on APC platform, who in APC would trust him with the ticket, given his close ties with Wike at this time? Can Magnus Abe in good conscience contest against Nyesom Wike now that his association with the governor suggests he sees everything good in him? If you were a voter and Magnus says Wike is good enough to be his associate, what reason would you have to vote for Magnus if he stands against Wike in an election? If you were to be a loyal APC member, what would be the reason for your confidence in Abe at this time? Would you be convinced that Magnus Abe would not abdicate the ticket when he receives the mandate to face Wike? What is the meaning of the several bows that we have seen among Abe’s supporters each time they have the unique opportunity to shake Wike’s hand? Would these gestures qualify as mere courtesy? Are such gestures evidence that these Abe henchmen have emerged as prisoners of war?
On what mission is Abe right now? Between Abe and Wike, who is the actual beneficiary of the flourishing partnership that is in place? Who is more likely to be destroyed politically by the alliance? Is it possible that it is capable of producing a win-win situation?
We have thrown up these questions so that those who read can ponder over them and draw their own conclusions.
Elections are about serious choices and in an election year, the people who are watching the dance steps of all who have stepped into the roped square to contest the highest office in the State would be the ultimate judges. They may be gullible as most of us think when we talk in terms of the mass audience. They may even be extremely pragmatic, articulate and imbued with strands of intellectualism, but they are still the ones with the right to choose when the time comes.
I can’t stop thinking about a reference that Wike made. He had described Abe as a brain box. Not to diminish Abe, let me concur.
Only a brain box as Wike alluded to Abe last year would come forth with such lines of political activism as we have all seen which are the focus of this analysis. Wike must himself be a brain box too or something like a brain box.
He has perfectly set an agenda for himself in his determined struggle to divide the rank and file of the APC, and is probably engrossed in his effort to set another for Abe.
If he succeeds, Abe would not be that brain box that Wike wants us to see. Wike would then be that box full of pia mater.
Some of the time, the writer is like a seer. He has his perceptions and his emotions as he struggles to convey thoughts that come from the deep.
Unlike the seer who gets his message from the realms above where God sits in judgment, the writer may lay no such claim.
Yet, from the deep, where issues creep into the subconscious, are streams of what is to come revealed. Such is life.
As I seat in my quiet corner, my fingers on the keyboard and my mind set on my State, I hope somehow that Magnus would avoid the self destruct botton. Can’t he see the cliff ahead? Is it possible that he seeks to throw away the baby, the bath water and the basin? What will make a father or mother eat up children like some animals do?
My mind tells me Abe has crossed the blue line that the APC represents on the way to the red line that the PDP is. This is what I see. I hope that I would be wrong about this postulation. If I am not, then it is time to drop the pretense of a governorship race. It has gone up in smoke, replaced by an artful vengeful spirit.
There are two ways, as I see it, that Magnus can be governor. The first possibility lies in Wike abdicating the governorship. That would happen if Wike were to go higher. Will Wike dare to go for a vice presidential ticket in a race against Buhari and the core north? Will he be ready for the gamble?
The other alternative is to end the daring game in the APC. Abe may not know it, but there are many in the APC who want him out. They include some of those who are pledging loyalty to him.
His friend Amaechi has said he would not back Abe for governor if he dares him. This should mean there are still tiny openings for the realization of a burning aspiration. Can Abe see what I see?
Out there in the waters, crocodiles are busy having a feast. They have their jaws thrown wide open. I can see them. Trouble is, I am not about to put my hands in the jaw of a snaring crocodile. I doubt that you want to.
Nonetheless, what is playing out is about the control of the soul of our dear State.
We hope our dear State would get a direction; hope that the direction that we seek would bring us a period of great prosperity.
It is painful to imagine that in a State with so much resource, Rivers State has the highest unemployment rate. The statistics are not mine. Look up the website of the NBS if you like to do a little reading.
It is inconceivable that in a State so richly blessed, investments haven’t come in droves because of the fear of insecurity. It is mind-shattering to imagine that we have done nothing consciously to diversify our economy even as the rest of the country does so.
There was a time when Rivers State dreamt of a state after oil. There was a time a return to agriculture was contemplated. That was long before the Federal Government gave it a deep thought.
Our farms conceived under a bold plan have been blown away. Today Ebonyi, Anambra and other states can boast of earnings outside the Federation Account. Today, Akwa Ibom can boast of cottage industries that are producing pencils and employing people. Cross River State continues to pursue its ambition to be Nigeria’s tourism hub inspite of its reliance on the Federation Account.
Here, we are restricted to boxes and shells conceived by brain boxes – products of scheming minds – that are forever scheming and weaving while the people cry out in pain.
I shudder, believe me, I shudder, overwhelmed by these thoughts and more as we throw away greatness and great opportunities because of politics. Everything shouldn’t be politics. Should it?