THE Governor Nyesom Wike camp of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, met in Enugu, on Sunday, over the raging crisis in the main opposition party.
Apart from Wike of Rivers State, others in attendance were Governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Makinde of Oyo State and the host, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.
Though the agenda and outcome of the closed-door meeting, which was held at the Governor’s Lodge, Enugu, was not known, sources said the governors met to restratagise on the next line of action in their fight to have leadership balance in the party’s hierarchy.
The sources said the meeting discussed the controversial refund of hundreds of millions of naira by some members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, to the party.
The Wike group is alleging that the money was bribe to buy over the NWC members to support the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to remain in office.
Also, according to sources, the leaders discussed Atiku’s visit to Enugu, last week, where he met South-East PDP stakeholders and made an “annoying statement that the presidency would come to South-East after his tenure, which most Igbo leaders viewed as an insult, wondering if he is now the owner of Nigeria who decides who leads and when.”
Wike, our sources further said, also used the opportunity to brief his team on the meeting he had with Atiku last week.
At the meeting, it was alleged that the PDP presidential candidate promised to support Wike in 2027, a promise the Rivers State governor was said not to have taken seriously, coming a few days Atiku made a similar promise to the people of the South-East.
The governors are said to have resolved to ensure the resignation of Ayu as PDP national chairman for any meaningful talk with Atiku to hold.