HeadlineUPDATE: Atiku, Wike Meet In Abuja

UPDATE: Atiku, Wike Meet In Abuja

May 30, (THEWILL) – Former Vice-President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has paid a visit to Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, at his Abuja residence.

The meeting is coming 48 hours after Atiku clinched the presidential ticket of the opposition party.

The meeting was also attended by former Ekiti State Governor and PDP presidential aspirant, Ayodele Fayose, amongst other PDP chieftains.

THEWILL reports that the former Vice-President had on Saturday, defeated Wike at the PDP presidential primary.

Atiku had polled 371 votes to defeat his closest rival, Governor Nyesom Wike, who secured 237 votes.

However, speculations have gone high over the silence of Governor Wike, who is yet to congratulate Atiku, days after the outcome of the primary election.

He was conspicuously absent on the podium, while Atiku made his acceptance speech, where he pleaded for the cooperation of all his co-contestants.

Other presidential aspirants including Bukola Saraki and Aminu Tambuwal, were on the podium with him, to show solidarity.

Although, while addressing the delegates earlier Saturday, the Rivers State governor had said he would support any aspirant that emerged as the winner of the election because he is a committed PDP member who loves the party.

“Let me vow, today, anybody who emerges here, I will support the person to the fullest because I am a committed party person, because I love this party, because, since 1998, I have been in this party and worked for this party, I am not going anywhere, This is my party”, Wike had said.

However, the Monday meeting, THEWILL gathered, was to reconcile the two party chieftains and give the PDP a robust outing in the 2023 presidential election against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Explaining the purpose of the meeting, the former Vice-President in a post he shared on Facebook, said his visit was to ensure that every stakeholder is brought on board to boost the party’s chances of emerging victorious in the 2023 presidential election.

He wrote: “In continuation of my commitment to bring everyone on board in ensuring that the PDP stands as one united party, earlier today, I visited His Excellency, Gov Nyseom (sic) Wike, at his Abuja residence. This is a continuous process.”

Meanwhile, there are indications that the former vice president may consider running with Wike as his vice at the polls.

A group, PDP Frontiers, had after the primary election urged Atiku to consider Wike as his running mate, saying “As for Governor Wike, an embodiment of formidable courage, unwavering party loyalty and pragmatic resilience without whom PDP wouldn’t have recovered itself after many had taken opportunities to exit and even fought with the ruling APC to destroy PDP.”

The group added, “We note too, the exceptional treachery of Gov Wike’s former ally – the greatest and exceptional beneficiary of his resources and support in the 2019 presidential primaries who became the greatest facilitator of Wike’s loss in this year’s presidential primaries.”

However, Governor Wike, ahead of the primary election, said he was not running for the position to negotiate for the position of vice president.

“I’m not coming out to negotiate to be vice to anyone, I’m coming out to contest for the number one position in the country”, Wike was quoted to have told PDP leaders during his consultative visit to Benin, Edo State.

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