The drama is unabating, the suspense intense and the intrigues more complicated by the minute. All indications point to the direction that things will remain same, at least, for the foreseeable in the extra-ordinary tiff between the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his main rival for the ticket, Governor NyesomWike of Rivers State. The springboard for the extant debilitating crisis in the main opposition party has gone through several twists and turns and creates fears in the party as well as among outsiders watching the unfolding events that it may just be about to throw away its best chance to return to power at the centre after its spectacular fall from grace in 2015. When it seems that attempts at achieving consensus are producing results, new grouses, accusations and demands seem to pop up, sending all scampering back to the drawing board.
Political watchers believe that the party may be losing time. Whereas the embargo on political campaigns is due to be lifted next month, it cannot raise its presidential campaign council, ostensibly because there is no inherent unanimity of purpose. So, rather than be deeply involved in developing campaign strategy, critics observe, it is bogged down by the thoughts of what Wike’s brinkmanship might conjure next.
However, despite the apparent game of hide and seek, both Atiku and Wike agreed recently to meet by proxy in a committee and talk about their differences. The reconciliation committee is headed by the Adamawa State Governor Fintiri, a core supporter of the former vice president. Nominated with him on the Atiku side are former Minister, AdamuWaziri; former PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti State, EyitayoJegede; former Cross River State governor, LiyelImoke, and JideAdeniji. To press for Wike’s interest in the committee are former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke; former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana; former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke; former Ondo State governor, OlusegunMimiko, and former Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo.
The inaugural meeting of the committee was scheduled for last Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but had to be aborted because Atiku’s representatives did not show up in the Rivers State capital. They did not travel to Port Harcourt in protest of Wike’s insistence that the meeting must take place there. Instead, the Atiku camp demanded a change of venue with the argument that a meeting of that nature should necessarily be held in the nation’s capital. However, both parties later agreed to meet between the following Friday to Monday in Abuja with the hope that the desirable atmosphere can be created to advance the reconciliation effort.
This came against the backdrop of last week’s urgent trip to France by Wike and four of the PDP governors backing him, to fine-tune their strategy as they hope to extract concessions from Atiku before a resolution to the lingering crisis may be reached. The governors that went with him are Sam Ortom (Benue), SeyiMakinde (Oyo), IfeanyiUguanyi (Enugu) and OkezieIkpeazu (Abia). They returned on Monday to Port Harcourt in time to monitor the aborted meeting. All of them have up till now withheld their support for Atiku following the perceived humiliation Wike allegedly suffered in the hands of the former vice president who bypassed him to choose his Delta State colleague, IfeanyiOkowa, despite the recommendation by the committee set up to help the presidential candidate to arrive at a suitable running mate.
Even while endorsing the Fintiri-led reconciliation committee, Wike has continued to express displeasure at the vibes emanating from the camp of the presidential candidate especially his perception that Atiku had broken into his camp to poach some of his most loyal supporters in Rivers State. Some PDP chieftains in the state who were seen as the governor’s core loyalists including former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Okpara and former Senator who represented Rivers East, Lee Maeba, have now aligned with Atiku against their state governor, drawing his ire. This has added a new twist to the feud with Atiku’s camp even though the former vice president remains confident of a resolution of the differences. “Wike is angry that some of his men came to join Atiku without his permission,” a top party source revealed to the Nigerian Tribune, but assured that the issue is being resolved.
To his credit, as was also confirmed by party sources, notwithstanding his outwards posture, the Rivers State governor has made no demands from the presidential candidate. But this has the implication of setting anxiety into Atiku’s camp that has been left guessing as to how to placate him. Atiku campaign’s spokesman, Dino Melaye, is confident that progress has been made on the reconciliation effort not minding the apparent back and forth. “We are making tremendous progress. There is no cause for alarm. All will be well in a matter of days,” he told the Nigerian Tribune. This is a position echoed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who assured that every issue about Wike will be resolved soon.
While denying that the tiff between the Rivers State governor and the presidential candidate is responsible for the delay in constituting the presidential campaign organization, the party megaphone told the Nigerian Tribune: “Reconciliation is not a hundred meters dash. It’s an ongoing process. We are making progress; we are sure and confident in the progress we are making. And to that extent, every aspect of the levels of the organs of the party involved…I know that at the end of the day and very soon, we will be ready for the campaign. What is more important for every member of the party is the fact that the party is buoyed to rebuild a great Nigeria. Every stakeholder, every member of the party has keyed into that objective. So, it won’t be difficult to have reconciliation. Again, I repeat, reconciliation is not a hundred meters dash. It takes a process and we are going through the process, we are certain of what we are doing and we know and are confident that at the end of it all, we will be united, we will be stronger together because the Nigerian people look up to us. We understand the expectations of the Nigerian people and we are committed to that and we know, at the end of the day, the party, the PDP is united as one family together.”
Although Wike is not known to have openly made demands, his disposition suggests that he definitely wants something, some concession of sort to throw weight behind the PDP presidential ticket. Governor Ortom had consistently hammered on the need for Atiku to placate him. Some reports have indicated that he is pushing for the removal of the national chairman of the PDP, Dr.IyorchiaAyu, and to be replaced by a nominee of his choice to give him a continuous foothold on the party structure. But observers doubt if this will help because Ayu’s resignation will open the way for the national deputy chairman of the PDP (North), Amb. Umar IliyaDamagun, to assume the leadership of the party in line with the constitution of the party that prescribes that should any officer vacate their office, they will be replaced by another from the same zone.
It has also been speculated that Ayu has premised his possible resignation on the wholesale swapping of present party offices between north and south, which will require the endorsement of another elective national convention. This is a long short not just for the amount of distraction it will cause for the party with just months before the general election, but will be fraught with further internal contestations that may spiral out control.
Source: Nigerian Tribune
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