Presidency 2023:  Panic in Tinubu, Shettima camp as Wike begins reconciliation with Atiku  

The camp of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kassim Shettima, has been thrown into panic as Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, agreed with the delegation of some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including former governors, to settle rift with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections, after the party’s primary.

Tinubu and the APC had been building hope in the sky anticipating Wike would dump the PDP and consider APC as an alternative.

In the moves to court Governor Wike for the APC, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State had opened political visitation to Governor Wike in the aftermath of the adoption of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as the running mate to Atiku.

Many considered the decision of Atiku to adopt Okowa as his running mate as a double slight on Wike who had lost the PDP presidential ticket to Atiku at the National Convention.

Thereafter, three APC governors from the southwest led by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, including Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, were in Rivers State to strengthen lobby for Wike’s defection to APC, in the belief that the Rivers Governor will never reconcile with Atiku.

However, Wike’s close allies and supporters for the PDP ticket at the convention – Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, as well as former Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, former Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, and others – led a delegation to Wike.

Thereafter, Atiku and Wike held a reconciliation meeting at the residence of Professor Jerry Gana, member of the PDP Board of Trustees.

While the reconciliation meeting was ongoing, Tinubu and APC governors held an urgent meeting in Lagos, where they hurriedly appointed a Christian governor, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State as the director general of the Tinubu Presidential campaign organization without consultation with President Muhammadu Buhari.

The APC national chairman, Abdulahi Adamu, who was not part of the meeting where the DG was appointed was later persuaded to lead Tinubu and his running mate, Kassim Shettima, to the State House, Abuja, to inform President Buhari of the appointment of a DG for the presidential campaign.