News / politics

PDP crisis deepens as Wike reportedly refuses to meet Atiku’s emissaries

Since the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar picked Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate last month, the PDP has been a divided house.

Atiku was said to have rejected Wike as his running mate, despite his recommendation by a 17-man committee set up by the party.

Following Okowa’s emergence as the PDP Vice Presidential candidate, some Wike loyalists dumped the party.

And in a bid to pacify Wike and his followers, the opposition party recently set up a nine-member committee to resolve the lingering crisis, but the Rivers state governor is reportedly not willing to meet the committee.

Also, his continuous silence over the crisis unsettles the party as nobody in the party knows his next move.

Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue and former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose are believed to be Wike allies.

Some of the party leaders like Fayose and Ortom had recently expressed their displeasure over the emergence of Atiku and Okowa as the party’s flag bearers for the 2023 presidential elections.

Criticizing the party on Twitter, Fayose recently opposed the PDP, insisting that power must return to the South in 2023.

Also, Governor Ortom during his interview on Arise TV said he had not made up his mind to support Atiku. He also called out the PDP for allegedly betraying Wike.

It would be recalled that in 2021, Southern Governors reached an agreement that power just shift to their region in 2023.

The governors vowed to oppose any political party that presents a northerner as its presidential candidate.

Despite the clamor for power to return to the south, the PDP decided to throw its presidential ticket open to aspirants from all regions, and Atiku, a northerner emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.

Wike came second in the primary election that produced Atiku as the PDP flagbearer.

Speaking on the crisis, a PDP chieftain in Rivers State told Daily Trust that Atiku would be paid back in his own coin, adding that

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News / politics

PDP panel okays Nyesom Wike as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate

A Panel has recommended Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike as running mate to Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

It took the decision after a marathon meeting of the National Advisory Committee, an ad-hoc panel set up by the party leadership to recommend a suitable running mate for the candidate, took the decision yesterday.

It was gathered that Wike was picked following a voice vote.

He polled 16 votes out of 20. Three other governors: Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), were dropped for the Rivers State Governor.

The panel is chaired by PDP Deputy National Chairman (North), Ambassador Umar Damagum.

Other members include PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu; National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature; and Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bala Mohammed (Bauchi).

Also on the panel are former Governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Babangida Aliyu (Niger).

Senator Philip Aduda (FCT), Reps Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu and former Senate President David Mark are also members.

It was gathered that Abubakar had on May 30 offered Wike the vice presidential slot, but the governor was said to have pleaded for time to enable him to make consultations.

It was further learnt that Governor Ortom was consulted by Wike.

According to sources, Ortom encouraged Wike to accept the offer.

The Nation.…

News / politics

2023: Atiku, PDP Governors, others meet after Tinubu’s emergence

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, on Wednesday met with governors elected on the platform of the party to strategize on securing victory for it.

The meeting was held just as the the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress emerged in Abuja.

A former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, won the presidential ticket.

Tinubu is an ally of Abubakar. The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, told newsmen after the meeting on Wednesday in Abuja that it was more of a consultative meeting.

Tambuwal said: “On behalf of my colleagues, the governors, let me commend the leadership of the party and members of our party for a very successful national convention.

“The National Chairman along with the candidate came to thank the governors for their roles at the convention.

“We talked about cooperation and collaboration in prosecuting a very successful electioneering campaign that will result into victories for the PDP at various elections from the state House of Assembly, national election, governorship and the presidential election come February 2023.

“It is more of a consultative meeting on matters concerning the way forward.”

On the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Tambuwal said: “It is part of the consultation.

“It is ongoing and governors are also being consulted on that.” At the meeting were the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu; Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and and Seyi Makinde of Oyo States.…

News / politics

Most of those around Atiku have no political value — Wike

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has said most of those surrounding the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, have no political value.

So also did Wike complain that there was an agenda to turn some Nigerians into second class citizens in their country.

Wike said these and more, according to a statement by his Media Aide, Kelvin Ebri, at a reception for him on his return to Rivers State after the presidential primaries of the PDP, which he lost to Atiku by 237 votes to 371 votes.

He said he was disappointed that some Southern governors acted contrary to their agreement before the primaries. He said it was the agreement of the governors of southern Nigeria that the presidency should come to the South, and he did not betray that agreement.

He described as shameful the inability of some of those who were part of the agreement to stick to the agreement when it mattered.

He said at the reception in Port Harcourt, the state capital: “I contested in an election (primary) based on the principle and agreement with all southern governors and leaders of the South that presidency should go to the South this period.

“We have done our part. We never betrayed anybody because it is not in our blood to betray. But it is a shame to those people, some of the governors from the South, they are the people that were used to sabotage our course.

“Look at a region ganged up, then you, your region cannot gang up. You became tools to be used against the interest of your people, and you think you have won, you have lost.

“You will continue to be perpetual slaves. Rivers people, you don’t need to bother yourselves. The PDP needs us. If they say they don’t need us, they should wait.

“The winner (of the ticket) also saw it. They underrated us, but now, they will not underrate us again. We have all it takes to do whatever we want to do.

“It …