The dispute between Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike deepened yesterday.
The Board of Trustees (BoT) rejected the demand of Wike’s supporters for the resignation of the National President, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
The renewed reconciliation brokered by the BoT led by Senator Walid Jibrin is threatened by a lack of compromise between the two sides.
Wike’s camp had based its demand for Ayu’s removal on the pre-presidential primary agreement that he would step aside if a northerner was elected as a presidential candidate.
According to the camp, both the presidential standard-bearer and the national president cannot come from the same region.
However, a source close to the BoT said the board dismissed the lawsuit as unrealistic, adding that it can only be met if Atiku wins next year’s election.
A crisis had hit the main opposition party following the election of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as Atiku’s running mate.
Supporters of Wike, who came in second behind the former vice president, believed that the governor of Rivers, and not Okowa, should have been named running mate following the recommendation of the established panel on the matter.
Atiku had insisted that he chose Okowa among the options presented to him.
Wike and his supporters have not given a categorical statement of support for Atiku/Okowa’s candidacy.
The PDP BoT, during a meeting at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, resolved to establish a committee to reconcile the warlords.
Jibrin said all BoT members are committee members.
It was said that the party’s stakeholders agreed that the national (southern) vice president will replace Ayu, who is from the north central zone.
Wike’s supporters did not attend yesterday’s meeting.
Some of those in attendance were said to have drawn the meeting’s attention to the fact that the presidential bid and two key leadership positions are in North hands.
“The presidential ticket holder, the national president and the BoT president are all from the north.
“Atiku is from Northeast, Ayu is from Northcentral, and the BoT president is also from Northcentral,” said one of them.
Senator Abdul Ningi told reporters that the rift between Atiku and Wike remained unresolved.
He said: “We discussed the crisis between our presidential candidate and Wike. To solve it, we established a committee of the whole to urgently interact with the two.
“We have established in this meeting a BoT committee to interact between the warring factions, particularly the acrimony that is taking place between the presidential candidate and Wike and any other conflict that is taking place in the nation within our party formation.
“The committee is the committee of the whole, that means every member of the BoT is a member of the committee. I can’t tell you the complaints and the time frame.
“About Ayu’s resignation, we haven’t even discussed any topic about someone’s resignation. What we discussed is what I told you.
However, Ningi said there was no deadline for the committee to complete its work and submit a report.
However, Ningi’s position was countered by another party member, Mr. Adakole Ijoki, who appeared on Channels Politics Today yesterday.
He said it would be fair for the party to restructure itself if it was really about amicably resolving the internal rift.
According to him, the candidate did not handle Wike well while selecting his running mate.
He said that while Atiku has the right to choose his running mate, he mishandled Wike and his camp’s interest.
He said: “When it comes to the resignation of the president of our party, my point of view is simple.
The party’s national chairman is from the north, Benue. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is from the North, Nasarrawa. These are issues that the PDP will have to resolve.
“The party is thinking of correcting itself and reinventing itself to win the elections and for the inclusion of all party members. Discussions are currently taking place in regards to that.”
According to him, it was unfair to make people believe that the crisis was because of Wike.
“To be fair to Nigerians and the PDP, it is good to put things in perspective. It’s not just Governor Wike; there are four or five other governors with him.
“We have former governors, senators and other party bosses involved in the fight.”
He said Wike and his team had yet to meet with the party or its presidential candidate.
He also said that the team had not yet submitted any conditions to reach an agreement with anyone.
“So when you say Governor Wike, you make the situation seem pedestrian. I can say that Governor Wike and his team led by Prof. Jerry Gana have not met with the party, not to mention meeting the presidential candidate. And if they have not been fulfilled, then we cannot be talking about giving conditions for the resolution of the impasse.
“I continue to maintain that the list of demands has not been made public. Anything you hear is still in the realm of rumours.”
However, he assured that as soon as possible the warring factions will be found.
“But I can confirm that they are going to meet in a couple of days to resolve the breakup.”