Rivers governorship: When Federal might, war drums couldn’t stop Wike

The conclusion of the 2019 Rivers State governorship election intensified the political rivalry between Governor Nyesom Wike and then Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, two former allies whose relationship had deteriorated into one of the fiercest political contests in the state.

Following Wike’s declaration as governor-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), some political observers described the outcome as a major setback for Amaechi and his political structure in Rivers State. Had the result gone the other way, similar political consequences would likely have confronted Wike.

State Collation Officer Professor Teddy Adias formally declared Wike winner on April 3, bringing to an end a prolonged electoral process that had begun with the March 9 governorship election.

However, the circumstances that shaped the final outcome had developed long before voting began.

One of the most significant factors was the internal crisis within the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). A prolonged leadership and primary-election dispute between factions associated with Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe eventually resulted in litigation that prevented the APC from fielding candidates in the elections.

The division weakened the party and deprived it of the opportunity to directly challenge Wike under the APC platform.

Critics of Amaechi’s leadership blamed what they described as the imposition of preferred candidates and the failure to reconcile competing interests within the party.

The disagreement became particularly damaging after the courts upheld decisions that ultimately resulted in INEC excluding Rivers APC candidates from the ballot.

With the APC unable to participate directly in the governorship election, Amaechi and his supporters adopted what became known as a “Plan B” by backing Biokpomabo Awara, the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC).

The decision, however, came only shortly before the election and raised questions about whether the AAC had sufficient organisation, recognition and grassroots structure to seriously challenge an incumbent governor.

Some APC members later argued that Awara was relatively unknown to many Rivers voters and that the last-minute alliance was insufficient to overcome Wike’s established political machinery.

Wike, on the other hand, entered the election with the advantage of incumbency, a strong PDP structure and years of experience in grassroots mobilisation.

Some of Amaechi’s critics within the APC argued that the former governor underestimated Wike’s political strength.

They recalled that Wike had played an important role in Amaechi’s earlier political victories before the two men fell out, and maintained that his understanding of Rivers politics gave him an advantage over his opponents.

Amaechi’s confrontational rhetoric ahead of the election also attracted attention. During the APC presidential campaign in Port Harcourt, he vowed that his supporters would confront Wike politically and accused the governor of using federal power against his camp during the 2015 elections.

Critics argued that such rhetoric increased political tension rather than strengthening the APC’s electoral prospects.

The last-minute decision to support the AAC also attracted criticism from prominent Rivers figures.

Niger Delta activist Ann-Kio Briggs, commenting on violence recorded in Abonnema during the elections, criticised the process by which governorship candidates were selected and changed by political leaders.

She argued that voters were repeatedly presented with candidates without sufficient consultation and that the AAC alliance was announced too close to the election to build meaningful public support.

Meanwhile, Wike consistently portrayed himself as the target of a coordinated effort involving his political opponents and some federal institutions.

Before the elections, he repeatedly accused elements within the military, security agencies and INEC of working to remove him from office. Those institutions denied allegations of political bias.

Wike nevertheless continued to raise concerns publicly, frequently claiming that intelligence available to his administration revealed plans to undermine the PDP in Rivers State.

His repeated warnings helped attract national and international attention to the state.

Diplomats and international observers from several countries and organisations visited Rivers before and during the elections, reflecting concerns about political violence and the credibility of the electoral process.

The absence of an APC governorship candidate ultimately gave the PDP a major advantage.

Several smaller political parties and candidates also supported Wike, further strengthening his position.

Wike repeatedly argued that the PDP remained the dominant political party in Rivers and claimed that his principal challenge came not from another party but from security agencies he accused of interfering with the process.

The election itself was marred by serious allegations of violence and intimidation.

The PDP accused military personnel and other security operatives of invading collation centres, arresting party officials and interfering with electoral activities in some communities.

Security authorities disputed accusations that their operations were politically motivated and maintained that deployments were intended to maintain order.

Several people were killed during election-related violence, including lecturer Ferry Gberegbe, whose death became one of the most prominent controversies arising from the Rivers elections.

INEC eventually suspended the electoral process because of widespread disruption before later resuming collation.

Throughout the controversy, Rivers Resident Electoral Commissioner Obo Effanga faced criticism from different political camps but maintained that the commission would follow established procedures.

When collation resumed, Wike emerged with an overwhelming lead.

He was eventually declared winner with 886,264 votes, while Awara received 173,859 votes.

The margin was large enough that the number of registered voters in areas where elections had been cancelled could no longer affect the outcome, removing the need for a supplementary governorship election.

For Wike, the result represented not only re-election but also a significant political victory over the Amaechi-backed coalition.

For Amaechi and the Rivers APC, the election highlighted the consequences of unresolved internal disputes, prolonged litigation and the difficulty of replacing an established party structure with a last-minute alliance.

The outcome ultimately demonstrated that federal influence alone was insufficient to overcome deep divisions within the opposition and Wike’s strong political organisation on the ground.