By Lateef Adegbite
Ahead of the 2023, general elections, Nyensom Wike, governor of Rivers state, who is not happy with the Leadership of the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for being shortchanged in the party Presidential primary and passed over in the selection of the Vice Presidential Candidate by Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration and the Party flag bear, appears to have turned himself as the eautiful bride. He is being woo by the old and young Presidential Candidates in order to deliver Rivers state to their party in the 2023 general elections.
Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, may have taken advantage of the crisis in the Opposition party over the outcome of its primary and selection of Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2023, general elections, to be all over him both within and outside the country to win his heart. He was said to have followed him up to France to hold a private meeting that may swing his heart to the APC, where Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state and one –time minister of Transportation and political rival has gained ground at the state and national levels.

Although , the APC, Presidential Candidate , who had dubbed himself as the Jagaban of Lagos, Media office, had denied that the former Lagos governor never had any meeting with the aggrieved Rivers state governor in France, they may right. This is because the governor returned to the country from Turkey, where he had travelled for his vacation on Saturday, July 3, 2022. Latest development in the country’s political scene clearly shows that Tinubu, the old war horse is doing everything within his powers to ensure that Wike dumps the PDP and join the APC.
His intension is to use the aggrieved Rivers state governor to win the state in the 2023, general elections. It was not surprisisng why he has sent Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state and Chairman Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, who had a Presidential ambition on the ticket of the APC, but stepped down for the Jagaban during the party primary, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos, and Rotimi Akeredolu, a senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and governor of Ondo , state to work on him.
The trios are described as political ally and confidant of the APC ,National Leader in the south west geo-political region were said to have met the Rivers state governor in his private reessidence in PortHarcourt, the state capital in the presence of Ayodele Fayoshe, a former governor of Ekiti and PDP presidential Candidate during the party Presidential primary .
They were said to have held a closed door meeting with Wike , who is still undecided on his next line of action, as he has adopted the Sidon -de- look attitude towards to avoid being labelled again as talking too much.
But a close associate of the governor told The Value News that the meeting was not unconnected with the 2023 Presidential elections. The three south west governors may have left Rivers state disappointed as Wike refused to commit himself to joining the APC, let alone work for Tinubu to win Rivers votes in the 2023 general elections or work against him.

Recall that Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers state had decamped to the APC, while still serving as governor of the state in 2014 but could not swing the state votes in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.The then President Goodluck Jonathan had won the state. Even as director general of Buhari Campaign Organisation for the 2019, general elections, history repeated itself as Abubakar, the PDP, Presidential Candidate won the south-south state.
Abubakar and the Iyorche Ayu led National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP, may have read the handwriting on the wall hat losing the a loyal party man who had contributed immensely to the growth of the party when it was at the verge of collapse to the APC or any other political Party out of the 18 Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, registered parties , will tell on the party performance in the next general elections. This may have informed why the party Board of Trustees, BOT, under the Chairmanship of Senator Walid Jibril, and other Chieftains of the party have gone back to drawing board to resolve the crisis polarising the party into camps.

Recall that the BOT, of the Opposition party, had set up reconciliation Committee, headed by Atiku, the party Presidential Candidate, to meet with the aggrieved Wike, now turned ’’ beautiful bride’’ over the fallout of the party’s Presidential primary and crisis trailing the nomination of a running mate. The Abubakar reconciliatory Committee which have 13 other PDP governors as members are expected to storm PortHarcourt as soon as the PDP standard bearer and Ayu, the National Chairman, return to the country from their vacation abroad.
Senator Jibril, was said to have reached out to former President Jonathan and other political allies of Wike , including Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue state, who may have spoken the mind of the Rivers state governor when he said he is’’ undecided on who to support for in the 203, Presidential elections’’.
Many believe that Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Flag bearer has much work to do to restore peace in the party . This is because, Wike may not be the only party Chieftain that is aggrieved over the state of Affairs in the party believed to have been hijacked by a Cabal who dictates to the Adamawa state born PDP Presidential Candidate on what to do.
Ortom, Fayoshe and Jonah Jang, a retired Commodore and governor of Plateau state are were aid to be also aggrieved and several others. Jang’s anger was orchestrated by the manner Atiku Atiku disregarded ‘’recommendations of the Committee set up by the party to choose a running mate for him and he’’ dumped it and picked Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta state’’, fueling speculations making the rounds that he has no regard for the party Leadership. Note that Obasanjo, Late Yar’Adua and Jonathan, all former Presidential Candidates of the PDP, did same thing.
There are fears I party circles that Wike, who may not bow to pressure to dump the PDP, may not work for Abubakar nor for the APC Candidate in the 2023 , general elections. He may work for the PDP, to win the governorship of the state but for the Presidency, Atiku and the other 17 other Presidential Candidates may have to test their popularity the state.
Oladimeji Fabiyi, Director, Support Group and Events Technical Committee , Atiku Atiku for President , 2023, is optimistic that ‘’the crisis in the party will be resolved because PDP , is a party owned by the people unlike the APC, that is almost a one-man party , while others are joiners’’.
According to him, Abubakar, who is still in the North American country of the United States, US, on vacation, understands that the party cannot go into the 2023, general elections disunited that he has vowed that he will leave no stone unturned to restore peace in the party by bringing everyone together. He was emphatic: Abubakar will meet with Wike when he returns, stressing that there is’’ no issue that is beyond reconciliation’’.
He had described the Rivers sate governor as a’’ key member of the PDP’’, insisting that ‘’the party cannot afford to lose him to the APC or any other party as they need him to be on the side of Atiku, not just for the 2023 general elections but also because that is’’ the right thing to do’’.
He had said that Wike is a good party man and not the type that jumps around looking for greener pastures. This is an indictment on Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Candidate and Bukola Saraki, a former governor of Kwara state and one –time Senate President who had contested the 2022, PDP, primary but lost. He is back to the Abubakar’s Camp.
The PDP, Presidential Candidate and Okowa, his Vice Presidential Candidate who are on vacation abroad were said to have told those that cares to listen all’’ the knotty issues I the party would be resolved’’ , noting that that he would work together with Wike and other aggrieved members for’’ the overall interest of the party’’. He has his reason to believe that the crisis would be resolved. This is because of the interventions from the BOT, Caucuses, Elders and former governors of the party to resolve the conflict between the two political gladiators .
In a related development, Amaechi, the former minister of Transportation, who returned the country from his oversea vacation, last Saturday may have thrown a challenge to Wike to truly be party man like him. He had contested the APC Presidential primary but came a distant second to Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos state, who won the ticket.
He may not have opted to fight him but have urged the party supporters in Rivers state ‘’to go and vote for the APC for the 2023, general elections’’, pleading with them’’ to keep their grievances aside’’. Hear him, the party has chosen, let’s go and vote for the party.
He may alluded to the news making the rounds about the meetings between Tinubu and Wike , his political rival in Rivers state in France, urging his supporters to see the meeting with them as their own France.’’ let this be your own France’’, he remarked.
He may have gladdened the heart of the he APC supporters when revealed that’’ those days of meeting and writing election results have all gone’’, praising INEC, and the National Assembly for ‘’reducing the level of rigging’’ with the electronic voting.