The Sim Fubara–Wike Rift exposes tensions over loyalty, power and political succession in Rivers State politics

This piece you are about to read is highly controversial. It takes a mature mind to distil the information.

Also read: Rivers APC rejects impeachment of Governor Sim Fubara

I have previously written about the matter of godfatherism and how, in its true essence, it is not a bad philosophy.

Never! In simple terms, a godfather is a mentor, and mentorship is a necessary principle in every field of management.

Gina Greenlee, in her book Postcards and Pearls: Life Lessons from Solo Moments on the Road, stated: “Experience is a master teacher, even when it’s not our own.”

The quickest way to learn and succeed is to pick the brains of those who have experience, follow their footsteps, and walk the road they havetravelledd to success.

In every sphere of humanendeavourr, this golden truth applies be it medicine, engineering, civil service, priesthood and church ministry, and most importantly, politics.

Another hallmark of a great leader is the ability to groom mentees and protégés who, over the years, will learn the ropes, gain the necessary experience, and be ready to succeed their mentor or godfather in the near future.

Change is the only constant in life, which is why it is said: if you want to identify a great leader, look at their successor.

My uncle, the late Rt. Rev. (Dr.) Peter Awelewa Adebiyi, told me over 10 years ago that no matter your achievements as a leader, if you do not have younger men and women under your mentorship people you have groomed and who have the capacity and capability to succeed you then, no matter how great your accomplishments are, you have failed as a leader.

That troubled me, and I asked ” How can that be”? After all, your achievements are there for all to see.

He replied ” With a bad successor, your achievements mean nothing because leadership is not just about what you accomplish during your tenure but about ensuring the sustainability and further growth of those accomplishments”.

On a final analysis, it’s not about you but about the future success and continued growth of the organization that must be your legacy.

For many years, Cadbury Nigeria PLC, under the leadership of octogenarian Dr. Christopher Kolade, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, followed this philosophy.

He mentored and groomed men to take over as MD after his tenure.

Personally, there are two former bosses to whom I owe much of my professional growth, and even now, I still defer to them during critical moments.

In politics, however, it is a different ball game due to the peculiar structure of governance in Nigeria and the significant amount of money involved.

Let me state unequivocally that there is nothing wrong with godfatherism or mentorship in politics just as in other fields of humanendeavourr.

The problem has always been the individuals involved in the execution of this age-old philosophy.

Take it or leave it, whether silently or loudly, every leader is deeply invested in who succeeds them.

It is an innate desire, even if some do not openly express it especially when they have multiple protégés or mentees.

Some leaders, however, are bold enough to not only speak out but also to endorse a particular successor.

Ultimately, it is a game of chance and how the relationship is managed to bring about the desired effect for the people being governed.

We can all see how this philosophy is playing out in Rivers State.

But what baffles me is the hypocrisy surrounding this issue.

I am yet to see a political leader in Nigeria who picks a godson as a successor without making certain demands of them. None!

It then becomes the mentee’s responsibility to intelligently manage their godfather while carrying out governance and maintaining that relationship.

This is a skill every mentee must possess if they want a rancor-free tenure.

The problem is that people shy away from stating the truth because they want to be politically correct or appear as champions of democracy.

Every democracy is rooted in the culture of the environment in which it operates.

If you ask Wike to desist from making demands of Sim, then let me ask you: Did you also ask Sim not to accept Wike’s decision to single-handedly pick him over other qualified aspirants in Rivers State and install him as the PDP candidate for governor? Among all PDP aspirants in Rivers, Sim Fubara was the least politically experienced he was a civil servant!

When Wike chose Sim over more qualified aspirants and orchestrated a stage-managed party primary where Sim was announced as the candidate, how many of you protested? How many of you suddenly became activists, carrying placards against Wike? Tell me, did Sim Fubara challenge Wike and insist on testing his popularity in a free and fair primary election? Did he demand that delegates vote freely without Wike’s influence?

He rode into office on the back of a tiger, and now, all of a sudden, he wants the tiger to stop roaring. During the election campaign, Sim was hardly heard very quiet, unassuming, and even sluggish at times.

Wike campaigned like he was the one running for office.

Now, less than a year into office, Sim wants to plant his own men within the party, appoint his own loyalists as heads of local government councils, and install his preferred Speaker in the State House of Assembly.

Less than one year in office! And yet, some say Sim is smart? No he is gullible.

He does not understand power dynamics or the patience required to navigate them.

A reasonable person who knows how he got to power through the benevolence of a godfather should have understood that his first term should focus on pleasing his benefactor and deferring to him on all political matters within the state, while focusing on governance.

Sim need to go take a lesson from Babatunde Raji FasholaSchooll of Politics.

After securing a second-term ticket with Wike’s backing and proving his leadership through developmental strides across the state, that is when Sim could have begun to exert political authority.

And even then, with the dexterity of a tested hands while still maintaining a relationship with his godfather.

At that point, with nothing at stake, he could disagree and negotiate from a position of strength because he would have come into his own.

The reality is that those who hold political influence in Rivers are still with Wike because Sim revealed his hand too soon.

Those who benefited from Wike’s eight-year tenure remain loyal to him.

Sim failed to win anyone over because he was too impatient to take over the levers of power in Rivers.

And who did Sim manage to win over? The very people who opposed Wike for picking him in the first place.

If these people had solid political capital, why were they unable to fight Wike and stop him from choosing Sim as his successor?

Politics is not for the faint-hearted.

If you observe Nigerian political leaders who have remained relevant for years and built immense political capital, you will realize they possess patience and the ability to play a long-term game.

Power is not handed out on a silver platter.