Rivers: Testing popularity with blood, By Jacob Ogunseye

The gory images emanating from social media and other mainstream news portals over the weekend show the palpable situation we have come to find ourselves as a nation. The much talked about political engagement by the leadership of both major political parties Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress was nothing but a mere show of shame and desperation. The “battle” was shifted away from the contenders who some never had the opportunity of knowing their names not to even talk of their manifestoes. Rather, the discussions were centred on the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, and the country’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. Unfortunately, these men have nothing to offer more than building and consolidating their political kingdom.
It pained my heart when I see the victims are innocent who are men and women in their prime ages. I wondered why such souls were quickly priced out to dangle his life for the political entrenchment of a boss. It is very open and sure, poverty ravages the land, but what is not actually sure is that there is no way out of this poverty except for being a political thug. If the news coming out of the social media is actually true, rumour has it that, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike had arranged for “exportation” of his children out of the state prior to the election. Though it depends on the side you are reading from, the opposing side would have done the same. I shook my head and asked whose children are now available to be used to do their hatchet job?
Everybody talks about the leadership failure in the country, yes, there is an apparent leadership failure in the system, but have we ever asked if there is followership problem? Without wasting time, it is high time we declared that the problem facing our country today is not only about leadership, the followers should brace up to share a large chunk of the blame. The followers have sacrificed their rights and privileges on the altar of little financial gain, they messed up their future for a leader who has never cared for them, they put their existence on the live support of a leader who oppressively notice their acts, what a pity?
Prior to 2007 gubernatorial elections in Osun State, the state was virtually in political war between the then Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and the Lagos-based promised “Messiah”, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, in their quest to entrench their political popularity, the two used the indegenes against each others, in the process, just as we are seeing in the Rivers State today, many pay the ultimate price – death. Those are the people I referred to as blind followers. I understand the place of activism, I equally understand the place of civil fighters, but all day long, I have struggled to find a place for political thuggery.  I am so much concerned about the waste of lives and properties in our land owing to this single act
As said earlier, Rivers State election re-run is nothing but a show of supremacy between Rotimi Amaechi and his former aide, Nyesom Wike. These are two gentlemen used to be together when the room was conducive to share the resources of the state. The confusion between them was the apparent affront of the former to the former President, Mr Goodluck Jonathan, why holding sway as the leader of the Nigeria Governors League. This confrontation led to the promotion of the latter who was an aide to a minister. What a nation? The main reason for Wike’s promotion from his new boss was to equip him with the required arsenals capable enough to confront his former boss. As it is in politics, it works, the once peaceful home of Nigeria’s main source of income was later polarised and divided, and is now gradually degenerating into a theatre of war, yet some of us could not see beyond APC and PDP.
So why are people so blind with patriotism that they can’t face reality? The main sinners among us are walking free the street, I mean, those politicians without principles. What happens if fate as it happened in the case of Oyinlola and Aregbesola, former political enemies who have now found a common ground resurface tomorrow between Wike and his estranged boss, Rotimi Amaechi? The situation in Rivers State is bad, continuous silence of the Federal Government is questionable, sudden changed roles of a governor to election monitor is worrisome, abandoning of duties in Abuja as a minister to supervise election in Port Harcourt calls for concern and of more concern is the non-charlatans followers who couldn’t place a tag on their lives to be too expensive to buy. These deaths are too many and now is the time to stop.