The Board of Trustees of Nigeria’s main opposition party, PDP, has recommended a delegation to embark on a reconciliatory visit to Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.
This, the BoT said, is in view of great concern of the recent comments coming from some party members and prominent Nigerians on the choice of Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as the vice-presidential candidate.
Chairman of the PDP BoT, Walid Jibrin, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
He said the delegation will be headed by Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, Mr Okowa, the National Working Committee and BoT members.
Other members of the delegation include PDP governors, former governors, ex-PDP ministers and some party elders from zones and states.
Mr Jibrin’s statement comes three days after Mr Wike, on Thursday, in Turkey, refused to grant an audience to a former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri, who was sent to speak with him by Mr Atiku.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Wike rejected several attempts by the candidate to arrange a meeting between them – since he picked Mr Okowa as his running mate.
The Rivers State governor had lost the presidential ticket to Mr Atiku at the party’s primary in May. A committee was set up to help choose a running mate for the latter.
Even though the panel recommended Mr Wike, Mr Atiku would go ahead to pick the Delta State governor because “he could not work with Mr Wike.”
Mr Wike has, since then, refused to speak on the telephone with Mr Atiku as well as his emissaries who were trying to have a meeting with him.
Already, prominent members like Samuel Ortom, the Benue State governor and Ayodele Fayose, former Ekiti State governor, have accused Mr Atiku of being unfair to Mr Wike. They have asked the candidate to meet with Mr Wike and offer an explanation.
Need for reconciliation
In his statement, Mr Jibrin cautioned party members against unguarded utterances that could further plunge the party into a deeper crisis.
While he described Mr Wike as a pillar of the party, he said the visit is necessary majorly because of his diligence and support towards building the party.
“A very important visit must be undertaken to Governor Wike… It is very important to note that he is a very responsible and very obedient member of PDP, who assisted tremendously toward building the party into what it is today. We must, therefore, encourage him to never leave the party,” Mr Jibrin said.
Ahead of the meeting, he appealed to party members in Rivers State not to leave the party and to shun comments aimed at reducing and running down the party.
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