Atiku meets presidential aspirants as PDP NEC holds today – Nexus News
The Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, convened a meeting with some PDP presidential aspirants whom he defeated during the party’s presidential convention in May.
The meeting, which took place in Abuja, was attended by Dele Momodu, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, Tari Oliver, Charles Ugwu and Kalu Chikwendu.
Other aspirants – Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, and a former President of the Senate, Pius Anyim, were absent at the meeting.
Atiku became the winner of the presidential primary after scoring 371 votes to defeat his closest rival, the Rivers State governor, who polled 237.
The aftermath of the primaries lead to the feud between Atiku and Wike after the appointment of Delta State Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.
In his words, Atiku promised to work in harmony with all the former aspirants, noting that they would play various roles to ensure his victory at the polls.
Briefly after that meeting, the PDP caucus meeting was also held at the Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.
The party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu; former Vice President Namadi Sambo; Atiku; governors of Bayelsa, Bauchi and Sokoto States as well as the deputy governors of Edo and Benue States were present at the meeting.
PDP NEC meeting
Meanwhile, the PDP National Executive Committee will on Thursday (today) hold its meeting where the feud in the party is expected to be the main focus.
The opposition party had been involved in a crisis following Atiku’s emergence.
Wike’s supporters have been requesting for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, saying that the chairman of the party; the chairman Board of Trustees, Walid Jibrin and the presidential candidate should not hail from the same region.
There were reports on Wednesday that Jibrin may resign in a move to resolve the crisis.
Jibrin, who had shown concerns over the situation in the opposition party, was said to have confided in two National Working Committee members about his plight to drop his position.
An NWC member confirmed the decision to Newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, noting that he was personally briefed by Jubrin.
Jibrin had stated that it is unfair for the PDP to have its presidential candidate, the national chairman and BoT chairman from the northern part of the country.
Acknowledging Jubrin’s decision to leave office, a credible source close to the BoT chairman said, “Mr Jibrin said he was disturbed by the way things are going in the party; having him, the national chairman and the presidential candidate from the North. He sought advice that he wants to tender his resignation but he has not disclosed when he would put in his resignation letter.”
The BoT chairman could not be reached for his reaction as calls to his phone rang out. He was yet to reply to a text message on his decision to leave office.
The PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, stated that he was not aware of the BoT chair’s planned resignation, noting that he could only comment on it if he submitted his resignation letter to the party.
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Regardless of Jubrin’s alleged decision to resign, supporters of the Rivers governor said only Ayu’s resignation can pacify them.
A former member of the House of Representatives and PDP chieftain, Ogbonna Nwuke, noted that it was the resignation of the party chairman that matters.
Nwuke, who said this in a telephone interview with Journalist on Wednesday, recalled that Jibrin had earlier bewailed the party’s lopsided leadership structure.
The former lawmaker said, “We have heard so too (that Jibrin wants to resign). The BoT chairman has continued to show that the future of the PDP matters more than an individual’s interest. He has come out to say the lopsidedness in terms of positions in the party held by the North is unfair.”
PDP gov candidates
It was learnt that at a meeting with 17 PDP governorship candidates in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Wike reiterated that the candidates were not in a position to address the crisis and therefore directed them to the party’s National Working Committee.
But the Kaduna State governorship candidate of the party, Isa Muhammed, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, stated that they decided to visit Wike on the crisis, having previously heard from Atiku’s side.
While depicting their deliberation with Wike as fruitful, Muhammed said they would present all the issues to the NWC to decide on the matter and possibly come up with a solution.
