Approximately six weeks after the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the aggrieved Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday met behind closed doors in Abuja according to credible sources.
Although the details of the meeting were still sketchy as of the time of this report, sources in the PDP who spoke to Africa Daily News, New York disclosed that the meeting between Atiku and Wike was held at the residence of a former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana, signalling what observers believed were reconciliatory moves to pacify the governor.
The source said, ‘Atiku and Wike met this (Thursday afternoon) at the residence of Jerry Gana. It was a good meeting, from what I gathered.
‘They exchange pleasantries and they have resolved to move the reconciliation to the next stage.’
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Asked if we can assume that Wike and Atiku have settled, the source said, ‘they have started the process; this started with a one-on-one interface.
‘This will lead to a certain level and they can now resolve all the issues.’
The source also said discussions were still ongoing about the choice of Director-General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation.
When contacted, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, declined comment.
Wike, on Saturday, broke silence on the internal crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party following the party’s presidential primaries and subsequent selection of its vice presidential candidate.
The PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, chose the Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate ahead of Wike whom many party chieftains had believed would emerge as the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate.
Those who opposed Atiku’s choice include the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom. The governor had on June 29, 2022, during an interview on Arise TV monitored by Africa Daily News, New York, said Wike and others who backed the Rivers governor for the PDP vice-presidential ticket slot deserved a detailed explanation from the party’s presidential candidate on his choice of running mate.
Ortom said it was surprising that Atiku could jettison the recommendation of 14 out of 17 members of the committee that recommended Wike as his running mate.
