Politics

2023: PDP can win without Wike, Atiku tells party’s BoT

Published

3 years ago

August 5, 2022

Nyesom Wike and Atiku Abubakar

‘Buhari lost Rivers yet won in 2015, 2019’
Runner-up raises posers at meeting with candidate

The dust over the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the choice of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as running mate by its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has not settled.

Although Atiku and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike met yesterday in Abuja at the instance of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Senator Walid Jibrin, a source said it did not lead to a truce.

The meeting was hosted by former Information and Culture Minister Prof. Jerry Gana at his residence.

At a meeting with BoT members on Wednesday, Atiku boasted that PDP can win next year’s election without many votes from Rivers State.

He said there was no cause for alarm if Wike did not want to fall in line with him.

Exuding confidence, Atiku recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, who did not win Rivers State, relied on votes from Lagos, Kano and other strategic states to win the 2019 presidential poll.

He also said PDP ran into crisis because Wike allegedly monetised the presidential primary.

Wike, who was privy to what transpired at the BOT meeting, was said to have complained about Atiku’s recent comment about him.

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A source said: “Wike joined issues with Atiku over his recent comments or pronouncements at the second meeting.

“He asked Atiku some questions:

”Did I tell you I want to be the next Minister of Petroleum Resources?
”Have I not been a minister before?
”Do you control Lagos and Kano, like President Muhammadu Buhari, if you don’t need Rivers?
”Have I asked for anything to support you?”

Atiku responded with “no” to most of the questions.

“Throughout the meeting, Wike was busy with posers to clear some impressions from Atiku’s camp in public space. Obviously, he was uncomfortable with some comments attributed to Atiku and some of his strategists.

“But the presidential candidate of the PDP was calm in managing the situation.”

Sources said Atiku and Wike had been engaged in a hide and seek game over a session with the BoT.

However, BoT members have consistently pleaded with Atiku to reconcile with the Rivers governor.

Although the two leaders got invitation letters from the board, none of them was interested in a face-to-face meeting before yesterday.

Atiku and Wike had resorted to bitter verbal exchanges and name-calling in the media in the past few weeks.

Their loyalists had also picked the gauntlet, with the two camps launching media attacks against each other, leading to a gradual alienation of Wike and his loyalists by the PDP leadership.

The BoT had waded in on Wednesday, with the setting up of a reconciliation committee headed by Senator Jibrin.

It was also gathered that party stakeholders will empanel another committee comprising nominees from the Atiku and Wike camps to resolve the differences.

It was also learnt that whatever the committee agreed upon would be tabled before a larger meeting of stakeholders for approval and ratification.

“One takeaway from the meeting is that supporters of Atiku and Wike must stop the media war with immediate effect,” a party source said.

Worried by the protracted rift, BoT members had on Wednesday met with Atiku in Abuja behind closed doors.

A member of the BoT said: “When the two leaders did not honour our invitation, we decided to meet with Atiku on Wednesday. We will still have an audience with Governor Wike. Our main interest is to keep the party united before we start the campaign.

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“Atiku took time to explain to us how he is ready to work with all party leaders and governors to enable PDP to regain power in 2023.

“He said since 1993, he has desired to contest and win the nation’s presidency without bitterness. He then asked: “‘How can a first-time presidential aspirant be so bitter for losing the primary? What of President Muhammadu Buhari who contested four times for the office?’

“Atiku also revisited the primary and how it was heavily monetised by Wike, but he said he still won.

“He urged the BoT members to prevail on Wike to work with him and others for the success of the party.

“He said otherwise, he will go ahead with the campaign without Wike and his team.

“He also said there are other PDP leaders from Rivers State who have bought into his candidacy, including Abiye Sekibo, ex-Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, Sen. Lee Maeba and others.”

The source quoted Atiku as telling the BoT members that “if Wike does not want to fall in line, we will go ahead with our campaign. One man alone does not make a state. Some PDP elders in the state are solidly with us.”

He added: “After all, President Buhari won the presidential election without many votes from Rivers State. He lost Rivers and still became the nation’s President after winning in Lagos, Kano and other strategic states.”

The BOT members, however, pleaded with Atiku to “allow more interventions to have a united campaign structure for the party’s victory.”

But Wike flew into Abuja yesterday afternoon to hold a session with his strategists before storming Gana’s residence.

But a source close to Wike’s camp said it was wrong to have accused Wike of monetising the presidential primary of the party.

He added: “We got to know all that transpired between Atiku and the BoT members. Wike did not monetise the PDP primary. Maybe, the Atiku group did. We don’t know what he is saying.”

The source said Wike rallied his friends, supporters and associates to boost the campaign of the PDP’s candidate with a huge amount in 2019.

“Wike has been a party man and he has never wavered in his commitment to his party’s return to power in 2023.

“If he did it for Atiku in 2019, he will do the same this time around.”

THE NATION

Related Topics:2023 Atiku BoT Featured PDP Wike

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NANS Declares National Protest Against Implementation of Tax Reform Law

Published

2 hours ago

December 31, 2025

Trends Admin

NANS Declares National Protest Against Implementation of Tax Reform Law

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has announced plans to mobilize students nationwide to protest against the implementation of the Tax Reform Law, citing unresolved issues in the gazetted law and lack of proper engagement by the government.

In a statement released on Tuesday, NANS National President, Comrade Olushola Oladoja, faulted the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for proceeding with the law’s implementation from January 1, 2026, despite lingering concerns about its provisions.

“The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) expresses its profound disappointment and total lack of confidence in the fiscal and economic advisers surrounding President Bola Tinubu, whose misguided counsel has pushed the administration toward an avoidable national confrontation over the controversial Tax Reform Law,” Oladoja said.

NANS accused FIRS and the Presidency of failing to engage stakeholders and the public in meaningful consultations, calling the decision to implement the law without widespread consensus “undemocratic and dangerous.”

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“Nigeria is a constitutional democracy, not a dictatorship. No policy, no matter how well-intentioned, can be forcefully implemented without the consent of the majority,” Oladoja said. He warned that the law, as currently implemented, could have painful economic consequences for many Nigerians.

The student body also highlighted that civil society organizations, youth groups, and student bodies have expressed strong reservations about the law, urging the government to suspend its implementation until issues regarding constitutional integrity, transparency, and public awareness are fully addressed.

As part of its response, NANS has declared Tuesday, January 14, 2026, as a National Day of Action, calling on students from all campus chapters, state zonal coordinators, and national secretariats to converge at Unity Fountain, Abuja, for a peaceful mass protest and march to the Presidential Villa.

“Our demands remain clear, non-negotiable, and just: Immediate suspension of the implementation of the otherwise beautiful but deeply controversial Tax Reform Law,” Oladoja said. He stressed that NANS will continue to pursue peaceful engagement, democracy, and national development, but will resist any attempt to impose policies without transparency, consent, and constitutional compliance.

NANS Declares National Protest Against Implementation of Tax Reform Law

Politics

Labour Party Reacts to Peter Obi’s Defection to ADC, Calls 2023 Candidacy ‘Mistake’

Published

2 hours ago

December 31, 2025

Trends Admin

Labour Party Reacts to Peter Obi’s Defection to ADC, Calls 2023 Candidacy ‘Mistake’

The Labour Party (LP) has reacted to the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, along with some of his supporters, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing the move as a long-awaited development that “liberates” the party.

Obi, the former Anambra State governor, and some of his allies, including serving federal lawmakers, officially joined the ADC on Wednesday during a ceremony held in Enugu State. In response, the Labour Party mocked Obi’s speech, describing it as “lacklustre” and questioning what new vision he intends to offer Nigerians.

According to a statement signed by the national publicity secretary of the Julius Abure faction, Obiora Ifoh, the party said Obi had lost the “charm that had endeared him to the people prior to 2023” and apologized to Nigerians for fielding “an unfitting presidential candidate” in the last election.

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“We have since September 2024 parted ways with Peter Obi and some of his blind supporters in the National Assembly. We have patiently waited for this day,” the statement said, adding that Obi’s defection is considered a blessing for the party.

The statement also blamed Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti for the internal crisis within the Labour Party, accusing them of sponsoring an insurrection against the Julius Abure leadership. The party further claimed that the Enugu event was largely boycotted by prominent political and traditional institutions in the South East.

Labour Party leaders criticized Obi’s past performance, citing the South East’s marginalization in President Ahmed Tinubu’s government, including limited ministerial appointments and infrastructure allocation.

“He must be told that the South East lost out completely in the Tinubu government because they trusted him in 2023,” the statement said.

The party urged Nigerians to remain attentive, promising to present a strong presidential candidate capable of restoring the nation to its “glorious days.”

Labour Party Reacts to Peter Obi’s Defection to ADC, Calls 2023 Candidacy ‘Mistake’

Politics

Peter Obi Directs Labour Party Members to Register with ADC Ahead of 2027

Published

4 hours ago

December 31, 2025

Trends Admin

Peter Obi

Peter Obi Directs Labour Party Members to Register with ADC Ahead of 2027

The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has directed all Labour Party members and supporters in Imo State to immediately register with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) following his formal alignment with the opposition coalition.

The directive was conveyed in a statement signed on Wednesday in Owerri by the Imo State Labour Party Acting Chairman, Chief Innocent NwaDavid.

According to the statement, the instruction aligns with Peter Obi’s decision to declare for the ADC, describing the party as the political platform he will use to pursue his presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The statement urged zonal chairmen, local government and ward chairmen, as well as members of the Labour Party and Obedient Movement who believe in Obi’s leadership, to follow suit by registering with the ADC.

“All Zonal Chairmen, LGA and Ward Chairmen, and Labour Party/Obedients members that believe in His Excellency Peter Obi are to follow suit by registering with the ADC,” the statement said.

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“This is the political vehicle he will use to actualise his presidential ambition.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Peter Obi, alongside other prominent political leaders from the South-East geopolitical zone, formally declared for the African Democratic Congress, marking a major shift in the opposition’s political landscape.

Speaking at the declaration event, Obi described the move as the beginning of a collective effort to rescue Nigeria from poor governance, particularly under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Today is an important day; today is the last day of 2025. We are ending this year with the hope that, in 2026, we will begin a journey to rescue our country for proper socio-economic development that will be unifying and inclusive,” Obi said.

He further accused beneficiaries of Nigeria’s democracy of undermining the system through coercion and political intimidation, vowing that the opposition coalition would resist such actions.

“We have watched those who benefited from our democracy become accessories to destroying it. We cannot allow this to continue, and we will resist it,” he added.