Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his team have perfected plans to break the ranks of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
Also, strong indications emerged that Governor Wike and those sympathetic to his cause may be settling for former Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, as a replacement for the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, if their plans scale through.
Recall that the Rivers State governor has vowed not to quit the PDP over his feud with the former Vice President and Ayu, insisting that he would remain in the party and fight for relevance.
Similarly, some of Wike’s allies including Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo), had announced their withdrawal from the PDP Presidential Campaign Council pending the replacement of Ayu as chairman.
Other members of the group are former PDP deputy national chairman, Olabode George, Donald Duke, Ayo Fayose, Ibrahim Dakwanmbo, Segun Mimiko, Jonah Jang, and former governors of Cross River, Ekiti, Gombe, Ondo and Plateau state, respectively, amongst others.
The presidential candidate and leaders of the party are already reaching out to Wike’s allies with a view to prevailing on them to sheathe their swords and work for the success of the PDP in 2023.
“There is general thinking in the party that Wike has nothing to lose and his so-called allies have something to lose, while some of them have nothing at stake.
“There is a thinking in the party that those who have something at stake can be cultivated.
“And you know, this is a delicate thing, delicate in the sense that those individuals do not want to turn against Wike in a dramatic way. They know he can say things about them.”
The former Vice President has activated a process to reach out to aggrieved leaders of the party.
While is of reach that there are some internal processes that have been activated to ensure that those people (Wike’s allies) are properly aligned with the dictates of the party which is to ensure that the party wins in 2023, which in fairness to those people, they are not averse to except for Wike. The party don’t even know what Wike he’s up to and those who say they are with him (Wike) don’t know what he is up to.
Following the unresolved crisis rocking the party, Governor Wike and some of his allies are pushing for former Ondo governor, Dr Mimiko, as Ayu’s replacement. He will keep pushing and even after getting what he wants, he will ask for something else. We know his game.
“There must be a stop to this and that is why we want to move on with his people.
