Ezenwo nyesom wike biography of rory

Nigerian politician and lawyer (born )

Ezenwo Nyesom WikeCON (born 13 December ) is a Nigerian politician and lawyer who has served as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory since ^[1] He previously served as the governor of Rivers Express from to

He is an Ikwerre man from Rumuepirikom in Obio-Akpor, Rivers State.^[2] He is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party and was graduated from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

Wike was elected as a two-term Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area from to ^[3] He was appointed Minister of State for Education on 14 July Wike was later appointed the Acting Minister of Education, after Ruqayyah Ahmed Rufa'i was sacked but resigned before finishing his term to campaign for governor of Rivers Articulate.

He was replaced by Viola Onwuliri.^[4] In , he won the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party primaries and chose former Secretary to the State Government Ipalibo Banigo as his running mate for deputy governor.^[5]

Wike beaten Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tonye Princewill of the Labour Party in the 11 April gubernatorial elections to emerge as governor.^[6][7][8][9]

In March , Wike declared that he will be running for the office of the president of Nigeria under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the General election,^[10] he was defeated by Atiku Abubakar who won the primaries with votes while Wike got votes being the first runner up, during the Peoples Democratic Party presidential election first which was held at the MKO Abiola National stadium, Abuja on 28 and 29 May The fallout from the main election created animosity between Wike and Atiku, he worked against the PDP in the election and on October 20, he told Atiku to pack up and go home.^{[11][12][13][14]}

President Bola Tinubu appointed Wike as minister of the FCT on 16 August , following his nomination, reviewing and approval by the senate.^[15]

Education

Wike attended Government Secondary School Eneka in Obiakpor, Rivers State where he sat for his O'level exams before proceeding to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUT).

He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from RSUT before proceeding to Law School in Wike holds a Master of Arts degree in Political and Administrative Studies from RSUT.^[16][17]

Political career

Wike began his political career as the Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers in , a position he held until , after being re-elected in ^[18] In , he was appointed as the head of staff to the governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi.^[19]

In July , he was appointed as the Minister of Declare for Education by President Goodluck Jonathan and was promoted to Federal Minister of Education in September He stepped down as Federal Minister to contest in the gubernatorial elections in his home state, Rivers State.^[20]

Rivers Articulate Election Petition Tribunal

On 13 May , the Election Tribunal for Rivers State, sitting in Abuja, commenced the hearing on the election of Wike.

Dr Dakuku Peterside of the APC was asking the tribunal to nullify the election of Nyesom Wike of the PDP who was declared winner as governor in the poll held on 11 April , on the grounds that it was fraught with malpractices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.^[21]

Wike opposed the hearing of the case in Abuja, arguing that the Tribunal should be held in Port Harcourt.

But the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachawa, rejected Wike's arguments and ordered that the tribunal be held in Abuja, for reason of security. Justice Zainab also ordered that, besides Rivers, all Election Petition Tribunals for Adamawa, Borno and Yobe be held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja.^[22]

After failing to serve Wike with court summons, presiding Justice Muazu Pindiga approved the request by Rotimi Akeredolu, the counsel to Dr Dakuku Peterside of the All Progressives Congress, to grant an order for substituted service on the governor-elect because Wike had been evading service of court summon and other processes in the petition challenging Wike's elections.

Akeredolu stated that the court bailiffs had on several occasions visited Wike's residence to outcome court service on him but was on all the occasions turned back at the gate by Wike's security guards upon discovery that he was a court bailiff.^[23]

Ruling on the petitioner's counsel's motion, Justice Pindiga, who granted the prayers, ordered that the court processes should be pasted on the wall of Wike's house.

He said that "I have gone through the motion ex-parte and it is hereby granted; all the court processes are deemed valid." Justice Pindiga then ordered that substituted service be effected against Wike either by pasting the court process on Wike's house or at the office of the PDP secretariat in Rivers express or in Abuja.^[24]

The Rivers Mention governorship election tribunal nullified the election of Wike on 24 October The election tribunal ordered governorship election rerun in Rivers State within 90 days immediately after the day of opinion.

Wike said he would appeal the ruling of the tribunal.^[25]

Discrepancy in the accredited votes in the Rivers Elections for Wike

The Election Tribunal was informed that the Independent National Electoral Commission in Rivers awarded Wike votes almost five times higher than the actual, authentic total number of voters accredited with card readers and Permanent Voter Cards which was ,, which was the total number of accredited voters for 11 April , gubernatorial election in Rivers.

The result was declared by the Returning Officer for Rivers Articulate, Osasere Orumwense on 13 April , stating that Wike was awarded 1,, votes, thus winning the election.^[26]

However document was signed by Ibrahim Bawa, the acting director in charge of INEC Legal Unit and Abimbola Oladunjoye, head of unit, Data Administration, of the commission's Information and Communication Technology Department.

He is an Ikwerre from Rumuepirikom in Obio-Akpor, Rivers State. He is a member of the People's Democratic Party and was educated at Rivers State University of Science and Technology. Wike was elected as a two-term Executive Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government Area from to

According to the result declared by the Returning Officer for Rivers State, Osasere Orumwense on 13 April, Wike was awarded 1,, votes, representing per cent of 1,,, being the conjured number of total accredited voters.^[27] But the tribunal was informed that according to INEC documents, tendered as court evidence, the total number of accredited voters in Rivers was only ,^[28] It was also common truth, however, that there was widespread malfunction of Card Readers on the Election Day prompting the extension of the election to the next day and granting recourse to the use of manual accreditation without the faulty card readers.^[29]

The commission's central server captured all actual validated and authenticated votes for the Rivers State elections on 11 April , making fraud by instruction accreditation impossible.

In that election, only those votes captured by the central servers from the PVC-SCR are deemed accredited and valid; manual accreditation is not allowed for governorship elections.^[30] The Court of Appeal has however ruled in the case of Agbaje vs Ambode that the non use of card readers is not a ground to nullify an election.^[31] The River State governorship election tribunal nullified the election of Wike on 24 October The election tribunal ordered governorship election rerun in Rivers State within 90 days immediately after the day of judgment generating uproar within the country as to alleged partisanship and corruption within the judiciary.^[32]

Gubernatorial Re-election

INEC declared Nyesom Wike winner of Rivers State governorship polls on Wednesday, 3 April , after suspending the process for some days.^[33][34] Wike took his oath of office on Wednesday, 29 May ^[35] at Yakubu Gowon Stadium, Port Harcourt as he commences his second term.

In his address, he promised to put Rivers declare first.

In May , he contested for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential ticket but missing to Atiku Abubakar, He also supported Sim Fubara as the PDP governorship candidate in Rivers state.

On 27 July , President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent Nyesom Wike's name, along with twenty seven others to the 10th Nigerian senate as ministerial nominees.^[36] On 31 July , Wike was screened by the senate where he declared that President Tinubu would not mourn nominating him as a minister in his cabinet.^[37] He is now the current Minister of the FCT.

Reforms

In line with his plans for educational reform, Nyesom Wike declared public central and secondary education free. He disclosed this on Monday, 24 June , in a conference at the government house, Port Harcourt.^[38] This was joined with complaints and appreciation; The latter from parents and former Principals and headmasters in the mention.

However, the Government of Wike held its ground amidst the perpetual demur until they all dissolved.

In , Wike through the State Ministry of Teaching announced free registration for participating locals of the state in the annual JAMB examination.^[39]

In , he signed a measure into law that strengthens a women's right to inherit property.

Upon signing the bill, he encouraged women to claim what is theirs and said they should not be afraid to act so because it is their legal right.^[40]

Projects

During his second designation as a governor, he kicked-off the construction of three major flyovers simultaneously in Port Harcourt.^[41] The location of the flyovers are at Garrison, Rumoukoro and Artillery.^[41]

Controversies

Having worked against his retain PDP party's candidate (Atiku) in the presidential election, Wike was rewarded with a ministerial position by Tinubu's administration (APC).

On 27 July , President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent Nyesom Wike's name to the 10th Nigerian senate and was, on 31 July , screened and ultimately confirmed as the Minister of the FCT although still a PDP member.

During his legal title as a governor of Rivers State and his term as FCT minister, Wike frequently abused his power to take others' land and reassigned them to cronies.^[42] This often required bulldozing existing structures to make way for the new assignees.

There were reports of two hotels demolished in Rivers purportedly on Wike's orders for the alleged offence of operating in violation of COVID lockdown. ^[43]

Wike also has a continuing feud with his protege and successor Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara, that has included insults, lawsuits and even halt in all federal payments to Rivers on Wike's behest.

See also

References