By Ibrahim Bunu
ibrahimbunu2520@gmail.com
There is a popular Niger Delta expression often used by Nyesom Wike:
“If it didn’t dey, it didn’t dey.”
In simple English, it means:
You cannot build something on nothing.
You cannot withdraw what was never deposited.
You cannot harvest where nothing was planted.
You cannot command loyalty where no loyalty was invested.
You cannot expect structures to defend you when you never built the structures.
This philosophy may explain more about Nyesom Wike’s political career than any speech he has ever delivered.
For decades, Nigerian politics has largely been dominated by personalities.
Wike belongs to a different school.
Whether one likes him or not, he believes in structures.
He believes in political investment.
He believes in the chain of command.
He believes political influence must be built before it can be spent.
And this may be the central lesson emerging from the Rivers political crisis.
The Politics of Deposits Before Withdrawals
One reason Wike remains politically relevant long after leaving Government House is that he spent years building relationships across multiple layers of Rivers politics.
He invested in:
Local government structures.
State assembly networks.
Grassroots mobilizers.
Youth leaders.
Traditional rulers.
Party officials.
Political associates.
His supporters argue that these relationships were built over many years and not during the election season.
The lesson is simple:
Political capital behaves like financial capital.
Those who invest over time can make withdrawals later.
Those who make no deposits discover that nothing is available when a crisis comes.
Hence, Wike’s philosophy:
“If it didn’t dey, it didn’t dey.”
The Tinubu Comparison
In many respects, Wike’s political style resembles that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Tinubu’s influence in Lagos did not emerge overnight.
It was built through decades of political organization.
Many governors came and went.
Yet the structure survived.
Many commissioners came and went.
Yet the structure remained.
Many political storms came and went.
Yet the structure endured.
Why?
Because the structure was larger than the individuals.
The same principle appears to guide Wike.
The focus is not merely on winning elections.
The focus is on building an organization that survives elections.
That distinction is critical.
The Ambode and Fubara Similarity
Many analysts increasingly compare the political experiences of former Lagos Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The comparison is not perfect.
The circumstances differ.
But there is one common lesson.
Both cases involved conflicts between political structures and sitting governors.
The key question becomes:
Can an incumbent governor defeat the machinery that helped create his political rise?
History shows that some governors successfully broke away from political godfathers.
Others failed.
The difference often comes down to one factor:
Did they build a replacement structure before the confrontation?
Many governors who defeated godfathers first built alternative coalitions.
They secured legislators.
They secured local government leaders.
They secured party stakeholders.
They secured grassroots networks.
They created a second power base.
Without a second power base, rebellion becomes difficult.
Why Fubara’s Challenge Became Different
Many observers argue that Governor Fubara’s greatest challenge was not the disagreement itself.
Political disagreements are normal.
The challenge was the speed at which institutional support appeared to align against him.
Politics is not only about popularity.
Politics is also about organization.
A governor may possess constitutional authority.
But political authority often comes from networks.
The Rivers crisis demonstrated that constitutional power and political power are not always identical.
The Meaning Of The Rainbow Coalition
The Rainbow Coalition promoted by Wike appears designed to send a message.
The message is simple:
Politics is about assembling different interests into a common platform.
Not everyone inside such a coalition comes from the same ideological background.
Not everyone belongs to the same party history.
What matters is collective political purpose.
Recent APC primary elections in Rivers demonstrated the strength of that coalition, with Wike-aligned forces performing well in candidate selection. (The Nation Newspaper)
The significance is not merely who won.
The significance is that an organized structure demonstrated operational capacity long after its principal leader left office.
“This Time The Campaign Will Be Like Never Before”
If interpreted politically rather than literally, this statement suggests something deeper.
It may signal a transition from defensive politics to offensive politics.
It may mean:
Greater grassroots mobilization.
More aggressive voter outreach.
More direct engagement.
More focus on organization.
More emphasis on local political structures.
In politics, campaigns are often won before the campaign season officially begins.
The politicians who spend years building networks usually begin elections with an advantage.
The Brutal Truth About Rivers
The Rivers crisis may ultimately teach one of the oldest lessons in politics.
Popularity matters.
Power matters.
Office matters.
But organization matters most.
A politician may possess popularity.
A politician may possess government authority.
A politician may possess media attention.
Yet when crisis arrives, the decisive question becomes:
Who controls the structures?
Who controls the grassroots?
Who controls the political machinery?
Who controls the network that has been built over time?
That is the deeper meaning behind Wike’s famous expression.
“If it didn’t dey, it didn’t dey.”
Because in politics, as in life, nobody withdraws from an account that was never funded.
And Rivers State may be witnessing one of the clearest demonstrations of that principle in contemporary Nigerian politics.
The road to 2027 may therefore be less about personalities and more about structures.
Less about slogans and more about organization.
Less about emotions and more about political investments made years before the battle began
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