PRESIDENTIAL candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has commenced moves to galvanise the South-East’s support following indications that some political actors in the geopolitical zone are still lukewarm about his ambition.
Sources told the Sunday Tribune that the former vice-president, accompanied by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, visited the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in a consultative parley which was said to have lasted more than two hours.
It was confirmed that Atiku and Saraki moved to pacify Ekweremadu following feelers that the Senate’s number two man was unhappy with the way he was treated in the PDP.
It was learnt that the leaders of the PDP discovered that Ekweremadu and a number of South-East leaders of the party have started drifting away on the basis of perceived failure of Atiku and Saraki to carry them along.
It was gathered that the meeting involving Atiku, Saraki and Ekweremadu ended on a cordial note, though sources said that suspicions were still rife.
For instance, besides the anger Ekweremadu has against Atiku for failing to nominate him as vice-presidential candidate after an earlier promise to that effect, he also nurse some grudges against Saraki for also falling to carry him along in some instances.
Sources said that Ekweremadu was made to understand why Mr. Peter Obi was the eventual vice presidential candidate, adding that the three PDP leaders were able to explain things through at the meeting.
It was also gathered that Ekweremadu was asked to further speak with governors of the South-East, some of whom have remained lukewarm to the presidential ambition of the PDP candidate.
It was learnt that some of the governors are still “one leg in, one leg out” despite supporting Atiku to emerge as the PDP candidate at the presidential convention in Port Harcourt.
It was also learnt that beside Ekweremadu, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State was also hopeful of securing the vice presidential slot ahead of Obi.
One of the sources said that as a result of the lukewarm attitude of some of the governors, funding is an issue that is being debated in hush tones.
It was learnt that some of the politicians who attended a meeting with Mr. Obi recently in Anambra were unconvinced with the funding plan proposed by Obi
“Many of the candidates seeking elective posts who met with Obi in Anambra were unconvinced and the feelers they relied upon were fuelled by the lukewarm attitude from the states,” a source said, adding, however, that Atiku was already taking a deep look into the issues.
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