Atku vs Wike: PDP BOT inaugurates committee to resolve rift

The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a committee to resolve the differences between the Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

The BOT said the committee will meet with Atiku and Wike’s camps and settle the rift between the duo.

BoT members moved to the residence of Atiku immediately after the meeting to confer with him on the way out of the imbroglio.

The meeting resolved to implore on the Presidential candidate to close rank with Wike’s men as that was the only way to tackle the problem and present a common front before the election.

Sources said members were divided on the role of the party as some of the BoT members were not happy that the Iyorchia Ayu-led National Working Committee (NWC), Daily Trust reports.

They said he (the Chairman) was not up and doing to resolving the issues.

But addressing journalists after the meeting, Senator Abdul Ningi said, “We discussed the crisis between our presidential candidate and Governor Nyesom Wike and how to get it resolved, we set up a committee of the whole to urgently interface with the two of them.

“We have set up in this meeting committee of the BoT to be able to interface between the factions, particularly the acrimony that is taking place between the presidential candidate and Governor Wike and any other conflicts that is taking place within our party formation.

“The committee is the committee of the whole, that means every other BoT member is a member of the committee. I cannot tell you the grievances and the time frame.

On whether the issue of the National Chairman stepping down was discussed, he said, “We have not even discussed any issue of anybody stepping down. We discuss what we discuss, and what we discussed what I told you.”

Meanwhile, some members of the party from Delta State, the home state of the Vice Presidential candidate, had earlier stormed the party headquarters and demanded the sack of Dr Ayu.

The protesters wielded placards with inscriptions like “Ayu must go”, “Ayu has no capacity to lead the PDP,” “Ayu wants to destroy PDP”; “Ayu is killing Delta PDP”, among others.

On July 7, 2022, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had disqualified the party’s governorship candidate for the 2023 election, Sheriff Oborevwori.

Justice Taiwo Taiwo had agreed with the plaintiff that Oborevwori ought not to be the candidate of the PDP for allegedly supplying false and forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The judge subsequently directed INEC and the PDP to recognise the plaintiff, David Edevbie, as the candidate.

The leadership of the party led by Ayu had so far not effected this change, the reason why the protesters stormed the party’s national headquarters.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the group coordinator, Chris Anthony said, “Ayu-led National Working Committee (NWC) failed to comply, refused to forward the name of the expected candidate of the party to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Ayu lacks the capacity to lead. He should resign. He can’t manage the affairs of the party. He can’t obey rule of law.”