PDP crisis festers, Wike camp gives Ayu-must-go condition to support Atiku

The crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the choice of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okoya as running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has continued to fester.

The camp of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is said to be seeking the immediate removal of the National Chairman of the party, Prof Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for peace.

This follows the overture made to the aggrieved governor by Atiku and his strategists.

However, the presidential candidate insisted that the chairman should remain in office to lead his campaign for next year’s election after which he would quit.

To resolve the crisis, party bigwigs are lobbying Wike to embrace reconciliation and support Atiku.

To avert losing the swing states, former Senate President Bukola Saraki is leading some party leaders to lobby Wike to support the presidential candidate.

Wike and his supporters have however insisted that Ayu must quit.

They asked Atiku tohonour his promise that once the PDP presidential candidate emerged from the North, a southerner will lead the party.

But Atiku’s camp claimed that Ayu could only step aside after the election.

The PDP leaders are said to be jittery that the party may not win the 2023 poll if it loses the swing states such as Rivers, Lagos and Kano.

Saraki, some ex-governors, former ministers and other leaders are reportedly lobbying Atiku to shift ground.

Although Atiku was said to be amenable to reconciliation, the leaders felt it was better to open fresh talks with Wike.

They reportedly felt it would be dangerous to toy with Wike because of his greater influence on the party and the South-South.

According to a source in Wike’s camp, the Rivers State governor is angry with Atiku because he went against the committee that recommended Wike and chose Okowa.

The group also claimed that the former vice president described Wike as unfit to be a vice presidential candidate or a liability to his mandate.

The source said, “Wike was recommended by a committee as vice presidential candidate of the party, but some forces in the party abandoned the report without mutual consultations.

“They came up with ridiculous excuses of temperament, ambition and overzealousness. When it comes to certain challenges, Wike is useful.

“Yet, it has pleased some leaders of the party to wish him away as nobody. They came up with ridiculous excuses.

“Also, what is hurting the Rivers State governor and his strategists is that all mutual decisions agreed with Atiku were not honoured, including the one at their meeting after the presidential primaries. Atiku paid a visit to Wike in Abuja and some issues came up.

“The next thing that happened in the party was that the likes of ex-Governor Babangida Aliyu started attacking Wike. The hand was Esau’s, the voice Jacob’s.”