In a bid to resolve the messy crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 17 governorship candidates of the party visited Governor Nyesom Wike to beg him to make peace with the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The candidates who reportedly arrived Port Harcourt at about 8 pm on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, went into a meeting with their host immediately.
According to reports, the governorship candidates from Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, and 13 other states met with Wike at his private residence in Rumueprikon, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
Though the details of the meeting were not disclosed, it is believed that the meeting was about the crisis rocking the party.
Wike is at the centre of the crisis as the governor is at loggerheads with Atiku and the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu.
The Bone of Contention: He’s been angry with the party’s leadership since the PDP presidential primary which produced Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
Wike is not alone in the fight against the leaders of the party, he has some PDP governors supporting him in the call for Ayu’s resignation as the National Chairman of the party.
The argument from Wike's camp is predicated on the claim that the leadership of the party is too pro-North.
They said the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu cannot come from the same bloc region.
However, an anonymous source, who spoke to The Punch about the meeting said the candidates pleaded with Wike to support the party.
The source said the candidates literally begged Wike to forgive Atiku and join hands with other PDP leaders that may have offended him one way or the other.
The meeting reportedly lasted for over two hours.
