In desperate efforts to salvage PDP, Atiku meets governorship candidates of the party in Abuja
By Emeka Alex Duru
In obvious desperate attempts to restore the sagging morale of members of his party and rev up the sparks for his presidential ambition, the standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday, met with governorship candidates of the party from across the country in Abuja.
The former Vice President alongside his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, met with the candidates at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja.
Those in attendance were governorship candidates from Kaduna, Plateau, Katsina, Lagos, Niger, Kano, Sokoto, Delta, Yobe, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi and Zamfara states. The meeting was held behind closed doors.
Though the details of the meeting were not made public, it was believed to have centred on the need to rally the PDP and regain the confidence of its members and supporters at the states, even as the crises in its fold are yet to abet.
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A source privy to the meeting confided in our correspondent that meeting with the governorship candidates was among the series of steps by Atiku to salvage the party and bolster support for his presidential quest. “You know the situation. PDP is in serious crisis with what is going on between Waziri (Atiku) and Wike. We are losing so much ground because of the confusion. We are yet to gather ourselves for the battle ahead while other political parties are set for action. We cannot continue like this”, the source lamented.
Since the May 28-29 National Convention of the PDP in which Atiku emerged the presidential candidate, the party has been enmeshed in crises that are currently threatening its wholesome participation in the 2023 general elections. The face-off is on misunderstanding between some members of the party loyal to Atiku and those in support of Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, who came second at the primary.
The governors on the side of Wike include Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Seyi Makinde of Oyo states. Part of their grouse is on the role by northern elements in the party, including Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state in ensuring that Atiku emerged the candidate. They are particularly aghast with the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, for working in favour of Atiku and for openly hailing Tambuwal who stepped down for Atiku as the hero of the convention. The rebelling governors are equally not happy that Atiku side stepped Wike and settled for Okowa as his running mate.
The Wike group also notes that with Atiku as the presidential candidate of the party, virtually all the major offices in the PDP are being occupied by members from the north. Aside Ayu, who hails from Benue, the chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), Walin Jubrin and Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum (Tambuwal), are from the zone.
The Wike camp has consequently given terms with which to work with Atiku, amongst which is that Ayu must step down from his position as the national chairman for a southerner. The embattled chairman has however scoffed at the demand, insisting that he was elected on a four-year tenure and had no reason to step down being merely a year in office. At a stage in the impasse, the chairman and Wike threw decency to the wind and resorted to name-calling and the governor asking Nigerians not to trust the PDP.
Atiku and Wike camp are yet to come at a common position on the matter, forcing them to hold several meetings in the country and abroad. Details of their meeting in London, last week, were not disclosed, except a group picture that was released to the public.
By Saturday, Wike had left for United Kingdom, again, in what many said was a renewed efforts at getting Atiku to yield to the demands by his group.
TheNiche gathered on good authority that it was in a bid to revive the weakening spirit in the party that informed the meeting between Atiku and the PDP governorship candidates.