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The reconciliatory effort by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees to settle the rift between Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Tuesday, October 5, 2022, did not produce the desired result.
The BoT delegation reportedly left Port Harcourt, after about five hours of discussion with Wike without achieving the goal of the reconciliation meeting which took place in the Rivers Government House.
The BoT members at the meeting include former Senate President and acting Chairman of BoT, Adolphus Wabara; former acting Governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris and a former Governor of Enugu State, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo.
The former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun; Kabiru TanimunTuraki, SAN; Dr. Esther Uduehi, and Hajia Zainab Maina also attended the reconciliation meeting.
Wike spoke his mind again: Wike was reported to have spent most part of the meeting explaining why his camp would not back down on the call for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu to the BoT members.
The reconciliatory meeting took place two days after five aggrieved PDP governors including Wike held a meeting in Enugu where they reportedly planned to remove Ayu.
The five aggrieved governors have been at loggerheads with the leadership of the party since the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar nominated Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate.
Speaking after the meeting, Wabara said the meeting afforded the BoT the opportunity to better understand Wike’s concern, adding that their findings and position would be made known to other BoT members in Abuja.
Describing Wike as an inestimable asset to the PDP, Wabara said the governor’s infrastructural development in Rivers was already campaigning for the party ahead of the 2023 election.
Wabara said: “We have been rubbing minds for the past four hours with His Excellency, the performing Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Project. But we have not concluded.
“It is always easy to destroy, but to make peace takes sometimes. But I think we are better informed. We have gotten useful information. Every point has two sides. We have been briefed by his Excellency. So, we are going back to Abuja to digest all the information we gathered from His Excellency.
“We had very frank talks. But one good thing is that this family remains one. You know, we are still under the umbrella called PDP and by the special grace of God, we will end up very victorious and we will end up in the Villa in May 2023 with his cooperation and support of other governors; four of them. I think we will make progress, no doubt about it.
“We rubbed minds and we will find a solution very soon. Presidential campaign has started; he is campaigning for the party. I will go to Abia State to campaign. There is no ballot box for me in Abuja.
“Our governor is a PDP governor. Even if he doesn’t go out to campaign, he has campaigned already with all the projects he has delivered. I am an acting chairman of the board of trustees and I do not have the exclusiveness to stand here and tell you what the board of trustees will come up with.
“We are going back and during the meeting of the Board of Trustees, that is when Nigeria will hear where the Board of Trustees stands. Since it is an advisory body, we will be there to tell the party the truth and nothing but the truth.”
On his part, Wike said the unity of the party is of utmost importance adding that it must not be endangered.
He said he and his allies would not leave the party. He pointed out that staying in the party does not mean that there are no internal issues
The governor said: “What’s important is that the house is united for the war that is coming in front. So, for me, the issues of whether they achieved peace or not today is immaterial. What is material is that PDP is united.
“What is important is to have unity, even if it takes you longer days. I think that is the message he(Wabara) is conveying.
“We have said repeatedly that we are not leaving the party. We have said so. But that does not mean that there are no internal issues that ought to be sorted out. I think what they are here for is to see how they can sort out some internal issues.”
Meanwhile, Charles Aniagwu, Atiku’s spokesperson has maintained that the rift between his principal and Governor Wike would soon be resolved.
Speaking on an AIT current affairs programme, Kakaaki, Aniagwu said Atiku and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa were fully involved in the reconciliation moves.