About two months after the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party, aggrieved Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday met behind closed doors in Abuja.
There have not been details of the meeting, however, sources in the PDP said the meeting between Atiku and Wike was held at the residence of a former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana, signaling what observers believed were reconciliatory moves to pacify the governor.
The source said, “Atiku and Wike met this (Thursday afternoon) at the residence of Jerry Gana. It was a good meeting, from what I gathered. They exchange pleasantries and they have resolved to move the reconciliation to the next stage.”
Asked if we can assume that Wike and Atiku have settled, the source said, “they have started the process; this started with a one-on-one interface. This will lead to a certain level and they can now resolve all the issues.”
The source also said discussions were still ongoing about the choice of the Director-General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation.
“The meeting took place in a very cordial atmosphere and at the end, both leaders happily exchanged banters openly. The two agreed to set up a small committee of equal representatives from both sides to thrash out issues of differences. That committee will ultimately submit a report to another larger committee that will finally lay the issues to rest. I can also tell you that the two leaders met without a third party.”
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It was further learned that the meeting was a follow-up to the meeting by the Wike camp last Sunday in Abuja. The Sunday meeting was said to have encouraged Wike to open his doors should Atiku express a genuine desire to meet him.
The Sunday meeting was said to have listed some conditions that must be met before the Wike group would ceasefire and suspend aggression.
Among the conditions is the need to ask the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign, to pave way for a Southerner to lead the party to elections.
The group was equally reported to have insisted that Atiku should sign an undertaking to spend only one term if he emerges the president.
Asked if it should be taken that Wike and Atiku have settled, the source said:
“They have started the process; this started with a one-on-one interface. This will lead to a certain level of cordiality and trust and they can now resolve all the issues. The mediation is a sensitive issue.”
The source also said discussions were still ongoing about the choice of the Director-General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation.
SOURCE: Punch
