Nigeria, March 19 -- When you become a governor, the first thing you must learn is how to manage the state assembly. It is not just about governance; it is about survival. You need the numbers on your side. You need to understand the game, how to lobby, how to build alliances, and when necessary, how to divide and rule. Elsewhere, they call it whipping the house.

Look at governors who have been politically wounded, frustrated out of office, or even impeached. They all have one thing in common, a certain arrogance fueled by ignorance. They believe that winning an election makes them untouchable. But power does not work that way. You do not govern in isolation.

The crisis in Rivers State has taken a dramatic turn. President Bola Tinubu ha...