A three-member delegation of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), met with Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, on Friday.
The meeting was held behind closed door at the government house in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state.
The members of Atiku’s delegation were Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa state; Adamu Waziri, former minister of police affairs, and Eyitayo Jegede, former PDP governorship candidate in Ondo state.
Those on Wike’s team included Mohammed Adoke, former attorney-general of the federation; Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River; Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo state, and Ibrahim Dankwambo, former governor of Sokoto state.
Atiku constituted the delegation after a 14-member committee he earlier set up to interface with Wike’s team failed to meet.
Speaking after the meeting, Fintiri who led Abubakar’s delegation, said discussions have been opened to broker peace.
“We are aware that Nigerians are anxious and waiting for PDP to take over government in 2023,” he said.
“We have met as leaders, members of the same political family and we have opened the discussion, work is in progress and we will continue.
“At the end of the day, we will broker peace and we will unify the party and Nigerians.”
Also speaking, Mimiko, said reconciliation is in progress and the members of the committees will meet again for subsequent discussion.
“We have agreed that there is a need for us to enhance unity within our party. This is a reconciliation process, there are some issues out there which need further deliberation when the committees meet again,” he said.
THE FRICTION
The opposition party has been mired in crisis since the conclusion of its presidential primary election in May.
Wike had contested the presidential ticket but he lost to the former vice-president.
The cracks widened after Atiku Abubakar named Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
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Following the announcement, some party stakeholders expressed concerns that Abubakar overlooked Wike — who was said to have been recommended by a panel set up at Abubakar’s instance.
The division in the party worsened after Abubakar granted an interview to Arise TV, during which he explained his rationale for overlooking Wike.
Days after the interview, Wike fired back, accusing the party’s presidential candidate of telling “many lies”.
