2023: Wike ,The Beautiful Bride, Amaechi Mocks The Rivers State Governor Over Alleged Meeting With Tinubu, In France

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.

Tinubu: APC, Presidential Candidate Sent Sanwo-Olu And Two Other Governors To PortHarcourt, to Work On Wike

 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.

Amaechi: Former Minister Of Transportation, Mocks Wike

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.

Atiku: Heads PDP, Reconciliation Committee

 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.

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