Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has advised FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to learn patience in his dealing with his estranged godson and incumbent Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara.
Omokri said this in an X post on Wednesday, hours after the Rivers State Government demolished the state House of Assembly complex ostensibly to rebuild the “damaged” edifice.
Wike and Fubara have been at daggers drawn over the control of the political soul of the state for the past two months.
On Tuesday, 27 members of the state House of Assembly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The 27 lawmakers, believed to be loyal to Wike, claimed their defection was due to division within the Rivers PDP.
This is as Fubara presented the state’s 2024 budget of N800 billion to five members of the state assembly loyal to him.
Reacting to the political intrigues in the state, Omokri said, “Nyesom Wike is a brilliant political strategist. But perhaps he also needs to learn from Bola Tinubu.”
He recalled the political differences between then-Lagos governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and his political godfather, Tinubu, ahead of the 2019 governorship polls in the state.
“Bola Tinubu could have impeached Ambode. He was more in control of Lagos than Wike is in charge of Rivers. He had total control of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the loyalties of most LG and LCDA Chairmen. But he bided his time. Patience bring a virtue, not a virus.
“He allowed Ambode finish his first term and then denied him a second term. That way, he got what he wanted without rocking the boat. That subtlety and patience is what Wike needs to add to his arsenal. In politics, with tact, you will get your fact,” Omokri said.
The former presidential aide quoted famous Chinese political and war strategist, Sun Tzu, who said, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
Omokri added, “This is something that may have benefited Wike. Pick and choose the place and time of your battle. A governor is weakest during the transition from one term to the other. Making it the perfect time to strike.”