Atiku, Wike meet in Abuja

Published by

3 years ago

Atiku and Wike FILE PHOTO

Respite may be coming to concerned members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the lingering feud between the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who have met face-to-face for the first time since the announcement of the party’s presidential running mate.

The two men have not seen face-to-face since June 16, 2022, when Atiku announced the Delta State governor as his running mate, snubbing Wike who had emerged as the choice of the committee set up to recommend a suitable candidate.

Major PDP stakeholders had since broken into two factions with some state governors led by Governor Sam Ortom of Benue State leading the Wike group against those supporting Atiku.

Ortom had consistently called on the presidential candidate to placate Governor Wike over the way he was treated in the running mate issue.

After claims that the Rivers governor had avoided a meeting with Atiku, both men finally met at the Abuja residence of former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, on Thursday where they agreed to nominate an equal number of persons into a committee that will work on their differences.

A knowledgeable told Tribune Online the committee will look at the issues that divide the two party leaders and present its findings to a larger committee for possible ratification.

The PDP hierarchy is already celebrating the meeting as a good sign that Atiku and Wike may yet work together to ensure victory for the main opposition party in the 2023 election.

The source confirmed: “They met at Jerry Gana’s residence at Asokoro. The meeting was cordial, they agreed to nominate an equal number of persons into a small committee that would look at the issues and thrash them out and present their report to a larger committee, possible for ratification.

“The meeting was cordial and it was a good sign, it was a face-to-face to signal the new direction.”

The Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that both men will continue their talk and agree on when the committee will commence its meeting on their behalf after being furnished with their terms of reference.

On the significance of the meeting between the two feuding party men, the source stated: “It’s the best shot we have had, without intermediaries but just them. It’s a good sign.

“It’s a very good sign for the PDP and what the party is hoping to do in the 2023 election and it’s a very good sign for Nigerians because Nigerians are earnestly awaiting for the major characters to resolve their issue.

“If the PDP is expected to wrestle power from the APC, they have to do that as a united front. That they are even meeting face-to-face now is the beginning of the end of the resolution of the issues.”

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE