Adedokun Waliyu 
Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, says Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, is “destined” to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Gbajabiamila spoke on Friday when he inaugurated the official quarters for members of the house of assembly in Rivers.
Wike had invited Gbajabiamila to unveil the legislative quarters built by his administration.
Over the past few days, the governor, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has played host to APC members, inviting them to inaugurate projects in the state.
Gbajabiamila said he had to cut short his vacation in the US to attend the unveiling of the quarters “because of who he (Wike) is and what he is to me”.
He added that he and members of the APC are eagerly expecting Wike to join the party.
“Let me start by thanking the governor, my friend and brother, that a confession that has been known to all forever that you plotted against me,” he said.
“It is the irony of life and indeed very interesting, the twist of fate, that those who he sat with to plot against me are the same people who sat together at your primary to plot against you.
“So, plotting is not necessarily a new thing in politics but what is constant is that in politics, there are no permanent enemies, there are no permanent friends, but what you have is permanent interest.
“And by God’s grace, this one that you have started, the journey that you have started that you and I both know, shall be permanent. Please choke them. I said choke them.
“I believe that when the governor finally chokes them, the members of the state assembly will be coming with him to where he is destined to be. We await you, your excellency, and very eagerly too.
“Do not let anybody intimidate you. At the appropriate time, you will tell them; you will choke them.”
The Rivers governor had contested the PDP presidential ticket but lost to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
He was also said to be a choice candidate for the PDP vice-presidential ticket, but Abubakar chose Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta governor, as his running mate.
There are speculations that the Rivers governor may not support Abubakar following his loss of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential tickets.
Although there have been fence-mending meetings towards resolving the friction in the party, Wike’s recent actions seem to indicate that the crisis is far from over.
