A minister cannot be allowed to behave as though his political battles are state business – Solomon Dalung

A minister cannot be allowed to behave as though his political battles are state business – Dalung

By Solomon Dalung Esq.

There is something deeply embarrassing about what happened in Rivers State yesterday.

Not because Nyesom Wike and Rotimi Amaechi are political enemies. Nigerians are used to political enemies.

Not even because Wike chose to attend a political reception on the same day Amaechi was burying his mother. Politics in Nigeria has become so ruthless that even that may no longer surprise anyone.

What should concern us is what happens when a man becomes so consumed by political rivalry that he appears incapable of recognising that there are moments when politics must stop.

A mother was being buried.

Not a political opponent.

Not an election.

Not a campaign rally.

A mother.

Dame Ezinne Mary Oduah Amaechi was being laid to rest at Ubima yesterday, and instead of allowing the solemnity of the occasion to stand on its own, Wike’s reception was taking place at nearby Omagwa, while security restrictions were reported along the route connecting the two communities. The Rivers ADC has alleged that the arrangement was deliberately designed to frustrate access to the burial. That allegation should be properly investigated and established.

But even beyond the road controversy, Wike’s conduct at the reception tells us something about the man and the politics he represents.

He reportedly used the occasion to remind everyone that Amaechi cannot defeat him in 2027.

Imagine that.

A man is burying his mother, and your overriding political message on that particular day is that you will defeat him at the polls.

This is where political competition becomes something uglier.

There must still be red lines in public life.

You can fight your opponent politically.

You can expose him.

You can defeat him at the polls.

You can disagree with him on everything.

But there should be places where even your enemy is entitled to dignity.

Death should be one of them.

This is why I find the argument that Wike is simply “powerful” somewhat misleading.

Wike is not powerful because the office of FCT Minister gives him some extraordinary political authority over his former governor.

His influence comes from the political protection and confidence he presently enjoys at the highest level of government, combined with how the President believes that he has helped him fight the opposition over the years.

Take away that political cover and much of what Nigerians presently perceive as Wike’s extraordinary power changes immediately.

That is why the most important question is not whether Wike can intimidate Amaechi.

The question is whether anyone above Wike can tell him: enough.

Because when political power becomes so absolute that a public official begins to believe every boundary is negotiable, the problem is no longer merely Wike.

It becomes the political environment that permits such behaviour.

And this is where President Tinubu cannot wash his hands.

The President may have his political calculations. Wike may be useful to him. They may share interests and political objectives.

But there must be a point at which political usefulness gives way to institutional responsibility.

A minister cannot be allowed to behave as though his political battles are state business.

And nobody should be allowed to weaponize public authority against a political opponent, particularly at a moment of private grief.

I have disagreed with Amaechi politically in the past, just as I have disagreed with Wike on many things. None of that matters here.

If tomorrow Wike loses a parent, I would expect the same dignity to be accorded to him.

If Atiku Abubakar were to lose a parent, the same principle would apply.

If Peter Obi were to lose a parent, the same.

If Tinubu himself were mourning, the same.

Because there are some things bigger than politics.

Death is one of them.

And perhaps that is the most disturbing thing about yesterday.

It was not merely another episode in the Wike-Amaechi feud.

It was a reminder of what Nigerian politics becomes when men begin to mistake political power for the absence of limits.

Wike might have defeated Amaechi politically in the past.

He might have even been able to outmanoeuvre him.

But if political victory requires us to lose every instinct of decency along the way, then perhaps we should ask ourselves what exactly we are celebrating.

Politics should have opponents.

It should not have enemies whose grief we are prepared to desecrate.

Mr President, this is one place where you need to draw the line.

Political power must have limits.

Call Wike to order before it’s too late .

Solomon Dalung Esq .