Members of the Board of Trustees, Peoples Democracy Party led by its acting Chairman, Adulphus Wabara, have arrived at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
They have already begun a meeting with their host and the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, over the lingering crisis rocking the PDP, as they await the arrival of the BoT members from Rivers.
Also in the delegation is a former Governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris.
The emergency meeting convened by the Wabara-led BoT was part of moves to find a lasting solution to the crisis in the party, especially the rift between Wike and the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2023 elections.
Governors of Benue, Abia, Enugu and Oyo States are with Wike in their clamour to see the party’s national chairman, Senator Iyorcha Ayu, resign his position to pave the way for a Southerner to replace him to achieve balance since Atiku is from the North.
Wabara and his BoT delegation aim to pacify Wike and convince him and his allies to support Atiku to win next year’s election, especially as the latter’s campaigns for the election had been flagged off.
Wike and some PDP governors, including Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde, (Oyo), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), were absent at Atiku’s campaign inauguration on September 28, 2022, raising concerns as to their support.
Recall that Wike and his men had on September 20 announced their withdrawal from Atiku’s presidential campaign council after a meeting in Port Harcourt.
Others in Wike’s camp include former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko; former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose; former Cross River Governor; Donald Duke, former Gombe State Governor; Ibrahim Dankwambo, and former Governor of Plateau State; Jonah Jang.
Others are elder statesmen Olabode George and Jerry Gana; South-South Chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; Senator Suleiman Nazif; and Nnenna Ukeje.
Expectations are high that a truce will be reached at today’s meeting in Port Harcourt.