By Madu Onuorah
Details of the meeting held in London between Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, have emerged.
Both Atiku and Wike met over dinner at the Park Lane Carlton Hotel in London on Thursday alongside Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State. Other notable member of the party including former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke were also in attendance.
Sources has confirmed that there were far reaching agreements that would bring peace to the leading opposition party which has been in crisis since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as rhe Presidential candidate.
The highlights of the agreement arising from the meeting is that Dr Iyorchia Ayu is to step down immediately as PDP Chairman. But the party and its Presidential candidate would “adequately compensated and treated with respect.”
Meanwhile, the Wike Camp is to produce a New PDP National Chairman from the South West Zone of the country.
Most importantly, Atiku is to serve for only one term of four years to pave way for power shift to the South which was trumpeted by his emergence as Presidential candidate.
Other agreements include the following:
- Wike Camp is to produce only the Senate President and some Principal officers of the National Assembly. But the Camp that would produce the Speaker of House of Representatives was left open for future discussions.
- On appointment of Ministers, the Wike Camp is to nominate Ministers for some key Ministries/Parastatals/Agencies
- The Wike Camp is to nominate a Director General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation. Towards this, they would also nominate a Campaign Spokesperson and share other key positions in the campaign structure.
To ensure that the agreement is binding, the power sharing structure is to be signed later “by both sides and sealed by the court.”
Wike and his team had earlier on Thursday in London met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.
The Rivers State Governor had on Wednesday met with the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also in London.
Wike’s meeting with Atiku is the climax of the reconciliation that erupted with the emergence of a Presidential candidate of the party at the party’s primary in May in Abuja.
Wike’s anger has not been assuaged since Atiku ignored him to pick Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the Delta State Governor, as running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
Both men would later resolve to constitute committees from both sides, to meet, and resolve the crisis.
While the first planned meeting between members of the two committees did not hold due to failure to settle for a location, the second meeting, which was held last week, was deadlocked and some party chieftains also pleaded with the governor not to leave the PDP.