TO save the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from plunging into another devastating crisis, the party has moved to appease Governor Nyesom Wike of River State over the choice of his Delta State counterpart, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa as its presidential running mate in 2023.
Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and former governors Jonah Jang of Plateau State and Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State have been most vocal over moves that the PDP should make following the emergence of Okowa as running mate to the party’s presidential candidate.
This is as the chairman, Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin, on Sunday, announced the formation of a reconciliation committee headed by presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
The first assignment of the committee, according to Walid, is to visit Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who he described as a responsible and very obedient member of PDP who tremendously assisted in the building of the party.
Walid, in a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna, maintained that as soon as Atiku and party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, returned to the country, the process of reconciling all aggrieved members would commence with Atiku as head of the committee.
The BoT chairman listed members of the committee as himself; Atiku, Okowa, Ayu and his National Working Committee members; representative of the BoT; the 13 governors of the PDP; former governors; former ministers of PDP extraction, some party zones across states and geopolitical zones.
Walid also called for restraint among party members over the choice of Delta governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
He particularly enjoined the members to shun divisive, unorthodox comments capable of running down or making members leave the party.
The statement read, “We view with great concern and great sense of feeling the various recent comments coming from some of our PDP members and some prominent Nigerians on the choice of Chief Okowa, the Governor of Delta State as the vice-presidential candidate, by the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of our party, PDP, the biggest party not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa.
“All the comments and various submissions are very normal in any political set up in Nigeria today with PDP being the strongest and most prominent party that has all potentials to form government in 2023.
“But, we must come back to our senses by all our members and all most responsible and respectful Nigerians by giving total support to the party to enable it form government by holding all political positions in Nigeria in 2023.
“It is, therefore, very necessary that when our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and our national chairman, Senator Iyocrhia Ayu return to Nigeria very soon from abroad, the following must be done immediately:
“A very important visit must be undertaken to Governor Wike comprising the following group: “The above committee should be headed by the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.”