August 5, (THEWILL) – The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, met on Thursday in Abuja.
THEWILL had reported that the meeting, brokered by the former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana, took place at the Asokoro residence of Jerry Gana, who had served as the director general of Wike’s Campaign team.
This is the first meeting of the duo since Atiku announced Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.
The meeting was first brokered by the members of the PDP Board of Trustees, who met Atiku at his Asokoro residence after their initial meeting at the national secretariat of the party.
Though, Wike has since returned to Port Harcourt after the closed-door meeting, but a source available at the meeting informed THEWILL that both parties expressed commitment to the resolutions to all issues in the party.
The source, who preferred anonymity, said the two PDP leaders resolved to nominate equal number of people to a committee to resolve all the issues that arose from nomination of the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidates.
According to him, the committee will, in return, report back to a larger committee that will be constituted to reconcile all aggrieved members of the party.
“The meeting was cordial and both of them expressed commitment to resolving all the issues. They agreed to nominate equal number of persons to a committee, to trash all the issues and report back to a larger committee.
“Only the three of them met and agreed to set up a committee made up of nomination of equal members, to work out modalities for peace to reign.
“The ice has been broken. They (referring to Atiku and Wike) have commenced talks and in a few days time, the details of their meeting would be made public.
“It’s a very good sign for the PDP and what the party is hoping to do in the 2023 election and it’s a very good sign for Nigerians because Nigerians are earnestly awaiting for the major characters to resolve their issue.
“If the PDP is expected to wrestle power from the APC, they have to do that as a united front. That they are even meeting face-to-face now is the beginning of the end of the resolution of the issues”, the source, who said the meeting was cordial, added that “it was a face-to-face to signal the new direction.”
The PDP has been enmeshed in crisis in the aftermath of the nomination of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as the party’s vice presidential candidate.
Supporters of the Rivers State governor had expressed misgivings over Okowa’s nomination, noting that Wike, who came second in the presidential primary ought to have been Atiku’s running mate. Atiku had polled 371 votes, at the PDP convention, to defeat Wike, who scored 237 votes, and 11 others.
Prior to the unveiling of Okowa as the vice presidential candidate, a special panel set up by the PDP to shop for a suitable running mate for Atiku had reportedly voted in favour of Wike as the opposition party’s vice presidential candidate by 14 votes to three.
However, the panel, which consisted of members of representatives of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), Governors’ Forum, Board of Trustees (BoT), former Ministers’ Forum and chaired by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Umar Damagun, recommended Wike, Okowa and the Akwa Ibom Governor, Udom Emmanuel, as probable vice presidential candidates.
Regardless, Atiku settled for the Delta governor, saying though all the nominees for the vice presidential slot are eminently qualified, he settled for Okowa, because he can easily complement him.
Loyalists of the Rivers governor also accused the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, of alleged bias in the nomination of the party’s presidential and vice presidential candidate. But Ayu had dismissed reports that the majority of the panel members voted for Wike as their preferred choice for the vice presidential slot.
Consequently, the opposition party has been on the edge, as the post-nomination crisis polarised the various organs of the PDP, including the NWC and the National Executive Committee (NEC). Governors elected on the platform of the opposition party have been torn over the issue.
Last Sunday, Wike met with his supporters in Abuja, to appraise developments in the party. At the end of the meeting, the Rivers State governor’s camp insisted on the replacement of Ayu with a southerner as a condition for peace with the Atiku’s camp.
The PDP BoT, in a bid to find a solution to the party’s crisis, met on Wednesday and resolved to set up a committee, consisting of all members of the board, to interface with the party’s presidential candidate and the Rivers State governor.
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