PDP Crisis: After Failed Reconciliation Bid With Wike, Atiku Moves On
by Chibuzo Ukaibe, Anayo Onukwugha and Adebayo Waheed14 hours agohttps://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?us_privacy=1—&client=ca-pub-5228780540891921&output=html&h=300&slotname=5564608636&adk=1992029273&adf=695731273&pi=t.ma~as.5564608636&w=360&lmt=1662341538&rafmt=1&armr=1&psa=1&format=360×300&url=https%3A%2F%2Fleadership.ng%2Fpdp-crisis-after-failed-reconciliation-bid-with-wike-atiku-moves-on%2F&fwr=1&rs=1&rh=100&rw=320&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&sfro=1&wgl=1&adsid=ChAI8JnRmAYQqvzBp9isuoRaEj0Am5CJrtaz84ddJWaYQOCMqVScC8_vPrO2IIHd5yM8fcPi1hwQmjBr_OMkBKcLjg2LlZrgRO_YoxuzjAfc&uach=WyJBbmRyb2lkIiwiMTEuMC4wIiwiIiwiVEVDTk8gQ0c2IiwiOTguMC40NzU4LjEwMSIsW10sdHJ1ZSxudWxsLCIiLFtbIiBOb3QgQTtCcmFuZCIsIjk5LjAuMC4wIl0sWyJDaHJvbWl1bSIsIjk4LjAuNDc1OC4xMDEiXSxbIkdvb2dsZSBDaHJvbWUiLCI5OC4wLjQ3NTguMTAxIl1dLGZhbHNlXQ..&dt=1662341537529&bpp=10&bdt=2197&idt=-M&shv=r20220831&mjsv=m202208300101&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3D7d6f16033ed9d85b-224b839721d5000e%3AT%3D1632972908%3ART%3D1662341536%3AS%3DALNI_Map5TV-Kc9TF_BFD7cqvF7KRZW7EA&gpic=UID%3D000003b540c9599e%3AT%3D1649380790%3ART%3D1662341266%3AS%3DALNI_MY2xyrnEY15kM1COGkBU6J4JOTQaw&prev_fmts=0x0%2C320x100&nras=1&correlator=2357929187901&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=amp-bos1QOh2uyrZG1YpJfs3SQ&ga_sid=1662341536&ga_hid=405855208&ga_fc=1&ga_cid=amp-bos1QOh2uyrZG1YpJfs3SQ&u_tz=60&u_his=10&u_h=800&u_w=360&u_ah=800&u_aw=360&u_cd=24&u_sd=2&dmc=4&adx=0&ady=666&biw=360&bih=656&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44759876%2C44759927%2C44759842%2C31068855%2C31060049&oid=2&pvsid=4396762494453847&tmod=2025327360&uas=0&nvt=1&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latestnigeriannews.com%2F&eae=0&fc=1920&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C360%2C0%2C360%2C656%2C362%2C659&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CEebr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=128&bc=31&jar=2022-09-05-01&ifi=3&uci=a!3&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=ByeYXaWm58&p=https%3A//leadership.ng&dtd=606ADVERTISEMENT
Pending a dramatic change of events, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has moved on with preparations for the 2023 election after failing to reach a truce with the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike-led camp.
This is coming on the heels of reports that the Rivers governor, along with his counterparts in Oyo, Benue and Abia, are again in the United Kingdom waiting to hold meetings with rival presidential candidates who they could support instead of Atiku, the flagbearer of their party.
Reports of the negotiations between Wike’s camp and Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have however started to unsettle governorship candidates of the APC in Benue, Abia, Rivers and Oyo.
The APC candidates who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday through their spokespersons and state party officials expressed doubt that the presidential candidate of their party would rely on opposition governors in his campaign rather than them.
Meanwhile, the PDP is expected to hold its much anticipated National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting this week to ratify the party’s presidential campaign council ahead of the September 28 flag-off of campaigns.
It was learnt yesterday that the party intelligentsia which had stalled most of its plans because of the Atiku/Wike rift has gone back to the drawing board to re-strategise in the face of emerging reality that the reconciliation process might not work out.
A party source told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the reason why the PDP national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, went on the offensive last week against Wike and others was because of Atiku’s resolve to move on.
Ayu insisted on completing his four year tenure instead of to resign as demanded by the Wike camp, noting that as of when he joined others to form the PDP in 1998, the governors were still children.
Wike had in turn described Ayu as being ungrateful to them for supporting his emergence as chairman, warning that they will help PDP lose the 2023 elections.
The party source however added that the party is mindful of the Wike group seeking to reprise the 2015 scenario where some party leaders stayed back in the party but worked for the then opposition party.
He said, “We are getting prepared to head into the elections with the mindset of certain scenarios. We are mindful of the options before the Wike camp, they have the option of dumping the party, staying put and working against the party, and remaining indifferent to the party activities.
“We don’t see the likelihood yet of the governors leaving the party but we are mindful of the possibility of a repeat of the 2015 scenario where some PDP leaders worked for the APC.”
When asked if the prospects of sanctioning the governors for anti-party activities might come up, the source said, “That’s a different issue altogether but events are still unfolding.”
Meanwhile, Atiku met yesterday with governorship candidates of the party from across the country.
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 at the Abuja residence of Atiku.
A source at the meeting told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the presidential candidate urged the candidates to close ranks and work for the success of the party in their domain.
The source who did not want his name in print said, “The whole meeting was a way for the presidential candidate to assure the candidates that there is no cause for alarm and that the party is in course to win the election.
“He understands the impact the recent misunderstanding within the party has had among party leaders and so he decided to hold this meeting as a way of rallying the party to victory”.
Atiku’s meeting with the candidates comes after the party leadership had last week declared that it was set to unveil the campaign council.
In an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, the PDP national public secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, had said the party cannot be held down by any individual.
“This party respects every member of the party. The party even Governor Wike agreed that Nigeria is the issue. This party is PDP and not one man’s party,” he said.
Disclosing that all the organs of the party are working towards one goal, Ologunagba said, “We must be conscious of every interest so that we don’t miss it. We are carrying everybody along.
“We are gradually getting to our destination. We have differences, we don’t have a crisis. We have a disagreement of choice. No crisis in PDP, we have differences, which is human nature.
“We need to come back together to rescue the party. Leaders and stakeholders of the party are united on this. The party is solid and moving ahead with its programmes to rescue the nation”.
Some of the names being touted to emerge as the party’s director general for the election are Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal and former Senate president, Bukola Saraki.
It was learnt that some party leaders are considering a southerner as campaign DG to douse the notion that the party is being run solely by the North.
While the Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, was earlier being considered for the position, it was learnt that one of governors from the South South, not Wike, is also being looked out to head the campaign.
Another source said, “The challenge is that since the impasse within the party started the governor has remained quite indifferent to what is happening within the party. He was also tipped for the running mate position but it didn’t work out. So since then he has adopted a passive approach to what’s happening in the party.”
Credit: Leadership