Peace talks with Wike work in progress

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The Peoples Democratic Party PDP Board of Trustees BoT meeting with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and his aggrieved group meeting on Tuesday was inconclusive.

Senator Adolphus Wabara, acting Chairman of the BoT, has described efforts at resolving the crisis which the meeting is part of saying their effort is a work in progress.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the closed meeting in Port Harcourt, Sen Wabara said the meeting afforded them the opportunity to properly understand the concerns of Governor Wike and are better informed about the crisis.

“We’ve been rubbing minds with His Excellency, the performing governor of Rivers State, Mr Project. I think the meeting took about four hours.

“We have not concluded. It’s always easy to destroy but to make up, to make peace takes some time. But I think we are better informed, we have gotten some information. Every coin has two sides. We have been briefed by His Excellency. We will go back to Abuja to redigest all that we gathered from His Excellency. We had very frank talks.”

Senator Wabara informed that they were taking what they have gathered from the Rivers State governor back to the larger BOT house in Abuja to take a position.

“I’m acting chairman of the Board of Trustees of this party. I do not have the exclusiveness to stand here and tell you what the Board of Trustees will come up with. We have come here, we are going back, we will convene a meeting of the Board of Trustees, brief them and that is when Nigerians will hear where the Board of Trustees stands. Since it is an advisory body, conscience of the party, we will be there to tell the party the truth and nothing but the truth about our findings.”

He said, since this was the first meeting of the BOT intervening in the crisis, they were optimistic of attending to the issues as a family.

“But one good thing is that this family remains one. You know, we are still under the umbrella called PDP and by the special grace of God, we will end up very victorious and we will end up in the Villa in May 2023 with his cooperation and support of other governors; four of them. I think we will make progress, no doubt about it.”

The former Senate President, who described Governor Wike as an inestimable asset to the PDP, pointed out that ahead of the 2023 general elections, the governor’s infrastructural development in Rivers State was already campaigning for the party.

In his speech, Governor Wike said what was important to all of them was to ensure that the unity of the party was not endangered.

He reiterated that he and his allies were not leaving the party, but are more interested that the contending internal issues be addressed adequately.

“What’s important is that the house is united for the war that is coming in front. So, for me, the issue of whether they achieved peace or not today is immaterial. What is material is that PDP is united.

“What is important is to have unity, even if it takes you longer days. I think that is the message he(Wabara) is conveying.

“We have said repeatedly that we are not leaving the party. We have said so. But that does not mean that there are no internal issues that ought to be sorted out. I think what they are here for is to see how they can sort out some internal issues.”

The meeting, which lasted four hours had Dr Ibrahim Idris, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), Dame Dr Esther Uduehi and Hajiya Zainab Maina on the BOT delegation.

On the part of Governor Wike, were the Rivers State PDP chairman, ambassador Desmond Akawor, Rivers Elders Forum chairman, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, former deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Chibudom Nwuche, Senator Adawari Pepple, Elder Emmanuel Anyanwu, Senator Olaka Nwogu and Dr Sam Sam Jaja.

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