By Lateef Adegbite
The Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential primary last May in which Nyensom Wike a one-time minister of Education and now governor of Rivers state was favoured to win but lost out to Atiku Abubakar, a former Nigerian Vice President during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration appears to have thrown up the Niger state governor as a tough politician that cannot be ignored.
Between Monday, August 22, 2022 and Friday, August 26, 2022, Wike, Okezie Ipeazu, Seyi Makinde, Samuel Otom, a former minister of state, during Goodluck Jonthan Administration , all current PDP, governors in Abia, Oyo, and Benue states respectively including Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross river state , described as inner cacus of Wike’s camp, were said to have relocated to London, United London , to keep off the pressure on them by the Nigerian top politicians including Atiku’s camp trying to penetrate their camp.
Either Wike, who has been under pressure to return back to the PDP, mainstream and Iyochia Ayu, the National Chairman of the party who had said that the Rivers state governor will eventually rule Nigeria, had broken the news of relocating to London with his camp or the news had filtered out to those monitoring him his movement in the state who may have circulated it.
This may have informed why Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, for the 2023, general elections, Atiku, the Flag bearer of the PDP, Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambara state, south east Nigeria and elder statesman, Obasanjo, who incidentally was Nigerian, former President were said to have also relocated to London to hold talks with the Wike’s camp.
The nononsense, Rivers state governors , was said to have told those that cares to listen on arrival in the coutry on Friday, August 26, 2022, with his Team, that ‘’ his consultations with the top Nigerian politicians ahead of the 2023, general elections are in the best interest of the nation’’. Hear him: t is not a parochial thng, being centred on person or group of persons, but on the nation’’.
He had said that the consultations is still ongoing as nothing has been concretised, meaning that the camp have not thrown their weight on Tinubu, Atiku or Obi, decribed as the three frontline politicians for now.
The Rivers state governor who could not hide his feelings had said that ‘’nothing can deter his camp from saving Nigeria from some Leaders who only want to turn political offices to a family business. He may have alluded to Tinubu, the APC, Presidential Candidate, fueling speculation making the rounds that that the Wike’s camp will never support the APC, Candidate to avoid turning Nigeria into Tunubu family business.
According to him, ‘’Leadership is not about you and your family, it is about somebody’’. Somebody finishes eight years a governor and will contemplate of bringing his son to be governor or sponsor his son or wife to go the National Assembly. He noted that ‘’it is only in this part of the world, referring to the north west geopolitical region that you can see that happen. These are people who do not mean well for Nigeria when we are talking about poverty everywhere’’, he had said.
The former minister of state, Education, during Jonathan’s Administration, is optimistic that with the consultations with the top Nigerian politicians, ‘’it will be a thing of the past’’. He maintained that nothing will deter his camp from doing the right, insisting that they are posed to achieving it and ‘’there is no going back’’. The Rivers state governor may have alluded to Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa state, in his comments on arrival at the PortHarcourt International Airport on Friday, August 26, 2022, with governors Iikpeazu and Ortom, that ‘’no amount of insults, blackmail can deter him and his camp from doing the right thing’’.
Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Candidate, for the 2023, general elections may have read the handwriting on the wall that the game is up that he had asked party stakeholders and his loyalists ‘’to desist from making Statements that may compromise PDP’s unity’’. Snippets from their meeting in London, indicates that all Leaders of the Opposition PDP, including Wike, the Rivers state governor, are united in working for the victory of the party in the upcoming general elections.
This may have informed why the Adamawa state born top politician had appealed ‘’to all party members, leaders and everyone related to or connected with or associated with him to desist from making comments that may further reduce the optics of the PDP image as a united party’’.
Atiku, the Opposition PDP, Presidential Candidate, had said that the appeal has become necessary under the present circumstances in order ‘’to call the attention of party leaders and members to the diversionary antics of the APC, which in manufacturing a false impression of division within the PDP, aims to hoodwink the Nigerian public to overlook the monumental failures of the ruling party’’.
Appealing to associates and party members who truly like him as the PDP , Touch bearer for the 2023, general elections, not ‘’to fall for the antics of the APC, in making Statements that could give credence to the false claim of divisions in the PDP’’, noting that it is the only way the party could win the 2023, Presidential elections.
He has confirmed the information that had had filtered out from their London, consultations that Wike and all other governors of the PDO, are united in working for the victory of the PDP in next year’s general election across board. The former Nigerian Vice President was said to have told his loyalists who were initially poised for war with the Wike’s camp that all leaders and members of the PDP, are on the same page in the mission to rescuewe Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC, stressing that ‘’what is at stake in the 2023, general election is the future of Nigeria’’.
In a related development, Kola Ologbndiyan, a former Publicity Secretary of the PDP, may have dampened the enthusiasm of Tinubu , the former Lagos state and Aminu Masari, a former Speaker of House of Representatives and governor of Katsina, President Muhammadu Buhari, home state, when he said that no PDP, governor , including Wike, the aggrieved governor of Rivers state with work for APC, to be returned to power after the 2023, general elections.
The former PDP, Publicity secretary had said that ‘’there is no truth in the Katsina state governor’s claims that Wike and some PDP, governors, referring to those in the Rivers tate govenor’s camp , who seen the failure of the APC that will want to have anything to do with ruling party. ‘’ He averred that the former Speaker of the Hose of Representatives claims was not predicated on fact and as, it cannot be taken seriously by Nigerians.
