More light has been shed on the meeting between the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike and 2023 Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar in London last week.
The meeting was attended by Governors Okezie Ikpeazu, Samuel Ortom, Seyi Makinde, who are allies of Wike and Ahmadu Fintiri, an ally of the former vice-president.
POLITICS NIGERIA earlier reported that both men have been at loggerheads ever since the party’s presidential primaries a few months ago. The rift became wider after Atiku chose Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate against the recommendation of a committee setup to chose the Vice Presidential candidate of the Party. The committee had selected Wike.
However, reconciliatory moves are in high-gear and this newspaper has reliably gathered that Wike and his allies made 6 solid demands from Atiku in order to support him in 2023. The demands include;
- The Immediate Removal of Sen. Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of the Party
- Alteration of the North-dominated National Working Committee (NWC) of the party
- That Atiku puts in writing, his commitment to serve for only one term if he wins, to pave way for power shift to the South
- Demanded to produce the new PDP National Chairman from the South-west Zone
- Demanded to produce the Senate President, Principal officers of the National Assembly and key ministers if the PDP wins
- Nomination of a Director General for the Atiku Campaign Organisation
A reliable source disclosed to this newspaper that Atiku allegedly told Wike that he will consider their demands and get back to them within 2 weeks.
It was also learned that Wike met with Tinubu and the Presidential Candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi, who are both lobbying the Rivers Strongman.
Speaking on the meeting after his return from London on Friday, Wike said; “I can confirm that this is the first time as a team that we are meeting with presidential candidates. For whatever its worth, consultation is ongoing. Whatever we are talking about, is for the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. It is not parochial and tied to one person or group of persons.”
“We believe that with what is going on, it will be for the interest of Nigerians at the end of the day.”
Wike decried the situation where standard, training and competence had always been traded for mediocrity.
He said leadership should not be about one individual and the interest of his family, but about the collective interest of everybody.
“Consultation is still ongoing. Never mind some people who do not believe in the existence of this country.”
Interesting demands but suffice to say that it all tantamounts to PDP giving the south upper hand in running nigeria, and Atiku/North would never oblige to that because if the north would ever do anything like giving the south an upper hand in running nigeria, why is the north still opting to hold the presidency instead of relinquishing the presidency intoto to South? Even at that, the deal implicitly assumed that the north plays a rational politics, but this is erroneous because Atiku Abubakar and his northern power brokers are power-drunkards. As power-drunkards they may agree to the demands just only to win the presidency for the north first and then decide to break the promises and the south has no constitutional support or basis to do the north anything if the north fails to keep its promises after winning the presidency. Did PDP that fielded Atiku Abubakar from North not break its own constitution to rotate or zone to South, a valid promise broken, and what is the south doing about that other than mere complaining? So the south must insist on winning the presidency for the south first before the north can get their own deal from the won presidency. Buhari and Tinubu deceived nigerians in 2015 with promises to win the presidency first and nigerians gave them the presidency only for them Buhari and Tinubu to fail to keep their promises, and that’s just going to be what the north will do with Atiku presidency because once won they will not honor relevant southern promises like restructuring or whatever tantamounts to giving the south upper hand in running nigeria, because if the north would ever do anything like giving the south an upper hand in running nigeria, why is the north still opting to hold the presidency instead of relinquishing the presidency to South? They will never keep relevant promises to south like that upon winning the presidency!