Efforts to end the disagreement over the zoning of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in next year’s election by its governors failed to yield fruit at a retreat in Ghana earlier in the week.

They returned from Accra, the Ghanaian capital yesterday after failing to reach a consensus on the contentious issue.

The meeting took place between Tuesday and Wednesday and the governors were split along the North-South divide at the meeting.

It was leant that Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal insisted on going for the ticket.

He declined a proposal that he should accept to be running mate to a Southern candidate.

There were indications that the governors ruled out the chances of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the race for the ticket.

The governors decided to take the meeting to Ghana when they gathered in Yenagoa for the second anniversary of Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri on Monday.

They subsequently travelled to Accra.

Although Tambuwal was not in Yenagoa, he joined his colleagues at the Ghana meeting.

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Other governors at the meeting, according to sources, are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).

It was learnt that Governor Emmanuel’s interest in the presidential ticket came to the fore at the meeting.

A source said: “These governors used Diri’s anniversary as a shield to sneak into Ghana for a crucial meeting on zoning in anticipation of the release of timelines for primaries by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“At the meeting in Accra, the Southern governors insisted on power shift to the South in 2023.

“From their talks, ex-VP Atiku was ruled out as the party’s candidate in 2023.

“But some of them offered Tambuwal the Vice Presidential slot which he rejected.

“At the end of the day, there was no consensus on any of the presidential aspirants either from the North or the South.

“It was at the meeting that some of them realised that Governor Emmanuel might have shown interest in the presidential race.

“There was mutual suspicion that more PDP governors from the South have presidential aspirations. So, the situation is still dicey in PDP.”

An aide to one of the governors confirmed the meeting to our correspondent.

There was disquiet in Atiku’s camp over the meeting.

Security and intelligence agencies were said to be probing the governors’ motives for relocating to Ghana for the meeting.

The agencies were acting on clues that there might be more to it.

However, Governor Wike dismissed insinuations that the opposition governors’ trip was to pick the party’s presidential and running mate for the 2023 election.

According to him, those behind the rumour were out to sow the seeds of discord and to ruin the chances of the PDP in the next general elections.

In a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, the governor said he and his colleagues had been inundated with calls to confirm a text message circulated by a chieftain of the party that some governors embarked on a weeklong trip to Europe to determine the party’s candidates.

The statement quoted Wike as saying: “I have always said to people in PDP, nobody should cause a division among the governors.

“We are trying as much as we can to build the party back and see that in 2023 PDP takes over governance.

“I don’t understand where he gets this information, this rumour that governors travelled to Europe to decide who will be the presidential candidate and vice-presidential candidate of PDP.

“I wonder why governors will travel to Europe to take such a decision.”

The statement linked the source of the ‘misinformation’ to one of Atiku’s key men.

Wike said though the governors have nothing anyone campaigning for the 2019 PDP presidential candidate and former vice president, stalwarts should be circumspect and desist from causing a crisis in the party.

“Don’t destroy other people because of this, because when you destroy them it will be difficult for PDP to win election in 2023,” Wike said.

The governor urged Atiku, whom he described as a well-known political strategist, to caution his men against spreading dangerous rumours that could divide stakeholders.

Yesterday, the United Kingdom High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing said they are interested in the 2023 election.

Laing said: “We look forward to seeing how much this election matters. Nigeria has been on a democratic journey since 1999. And that, in itself is something to be very proud of.”

The Nation