Having failed to get his demands met by the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state and some of his allies in PDP have vowed not to leave the party, but rather work against the victory of the party in the February 25 presidential election.
According to a reliable source, Wike’s allies, Samuel Ortom (Benue) Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) all agreed to support the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu without defecting to the ruling party.
“Wike and his team are currently in London where they met this afternoon and I have it on good authority that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, will be joining them to conclude talks started weeks ago.”
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The source revealed the Governors want assurances that their preferred candidates will be allowed to win Senate and House of Representatives seats in their respective states but Tinubu could not fully commit to the demands.
The governors also demanded that if Tinubu wins, he will not influence the outcome of governorship and other elections in their various states.
“He also wanted assurances that their men should be allowed to win Senate and House of Representatives seats, including the governors contesting senatorial elections. There was no headway on this demand either, since the presidential and National Assembly elections would take place the same day,” the source claimed.
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Wike has been at loggerheads with Atiku over the outcome of the party’s presidential primary election and the subsequent emergence of Ifeanyi Okowa as the vice presidential candidate.
A major demand of the Wike camp for peace to reign in PDP is said to be the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu as the party’s national chairman and for him to be replaced by a southerner.
However, Ayu insists that he would not resign but intends to see out his four-year tenure.
Meanwhile, the PDP has scheduled crucial meetings of its National Working Committee (NWC), National Caucus, Board of Trustees (BoT), and National Executive Committee (NEC).
Insiders disclosed that the meetings are part of efforts by the PDP to rally its leaders and stakeholders to find a middle ground in the crisis rocking the opposition party.