On this day, January 5, 2026, we are not just witnessing the political decline of a man; we are attending the funeral of a system. The news rippling through Abuja and Port Harcourt—that President Tinubu and Governor Hope Uzodimma have effectively handed the “keys of Rivers” to Governor Siminalayi Fubara—is the final nail in the coffin of The Garrison Doctrine.
Nyesom Wike, a man who once bestrode the Niger Delta like a colossus, now finds himself in the most precarious position known to a politician: The “General” who fought too many wars and was finally captured by the very allies he helped to power.
I. The Myth of the “Untouchable” Kingmaker
The “Wike Era” was built on the premise that loyalty could be bought with state resources and maintained through a “Garrison” command structure. He was the architect of the 2023 “G-5” rebellion, the man who famously said, “I will tell you who to vote for.” But in the game of chess that is the Nigerian Presidency, Wike forgot one fundamental rule: In a palace, there is only room for one King. By attempting to remain the “Governor of Rivers” while serving as the “Minister of Abuja,” he overextended his lines of supply.
II. The “Under the Bus” Realignment
Why did Tinubu and Uzodimma throw him under the bus? The answer is cold, fiscal, and pragmatic.
The Uzodimma Calculus: As Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma knows that a sitting Governor (Fubara) with access to the state treasury and local machinery is a more valuable asset for 2027 than a Minister whose influence is fading.
The Tinubu Doctrine: For the President, stability in the oil-rich Rivers State is paramount. If Wike’s ego was the price for Fubara’s total alignment with the APC, it was a price the Presidency was more than willing to pay.
Wike thought he was the Bridge to the South-South; he realized too late he was merely a Pontoon—disposable once the heavy armor had crossed.
III. The Chessboard: Checkmate in the Delta
Wike played Blitz. He shouted, he threatened, and he deployed the police and the courts. But Fubara—the “Silent Accountant”—played the long-form Grandmaster game.
Step 1: The Tactical Retreat. Fubara endured the insults and the “peace deals.”
Step 2: The Infrastructure of Loyalty. He built his own base among the civil servants and the traditional rulers.
Step 3: The Abuja Pivot. By securing the backing of the national APC structure, Fubara didn’t just win a state; he “captured” the General who thought he owned him.
IV. THE DIRGE: THE CAPTIVE COMMANDER
He gathered the swords and he polished the shield, He swore that the “State” was his own private field. But Abuja is cold, and the corridors long, And the “General’s” voice is no longer a song.
The Bus has moved on, and the dust is in his eyes, As Fubara’s banner now starts to rise. No more “Pillars,” no “Posts” left to hold, The “Garrison King” has been left in the cold.
They took the keys, they locked the gate, And left the “General” to his own fate. He fought too many, he shouted too loud, Now he’s just a ghost in a vanishing cloud.
V. The Legacy: A Warning to the Next Generation
This political obituary is not just for Wike; it is a warning for every “Godfather” currently sitting in a Government House. In the Nigeria of 2026, the people—and the Presidency—are moving toward a system of Pragmatic Incumbency. The era where one man could “dictate” the heartbeat of a state is over. Wike’s fall proves that when a Godfather attempts to become a God, he inevitably finds himself at the mercy of the mortals he once looked down upon.
The Record is Set: The General is captured. The game is over.
THE STORY OF A POLITICAL GODFATHER BY DARE ADELEKAN
