17 PDP governorship candidates visit Rivers to beg Wike to forgive Atiku 

Wike was practically asked by the candidates to pardon Atiku and work with other PDP figures who may have somehow offended him.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

17 PDP gubernatorial candidates visited Governor Nyesom Wike to implore him to make peace with the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in an effort to end the ugly dispute within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The candidates, who allegedly arrived in Port Harcourt on September 6, 2022, at around 8 p.m., entered a meeting with their host right away.

The Punch reports that Wike hosted a meeting with the gubernatorial candidates from Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kaduna, and 13 other states at his home in Rumueprikon, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

Although the meeting’s specifics were kept confidential, it is assumed that the discussion dealt with the crisis that was shattering the party.

The problem is centered on Wike since the governor is at odds with Atiku and the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

Since the PDP presidential primaries, which resulted in Atiku being the party’s presidential nominee, he has been furious with the party’s leadership.

Wike is not fighting the party’s leaders alone; he has the backing of other PDP governors who want Ayu to step down as the party’s national chairman.

The Wike camp’s argument is based on the claim that the party’s leadership is overly pro-North.

They said Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, and Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the national chairman, cannot be from the same bloc region.

The candidates reportedly begged Wike to back the party, according to an anonymous person who talked to The Punch about the meeting.

According to the source, the candidates pleaded with Wike to pardon Atiku and work with other PDP figures who may have somehow insulted him.

According to reports, the meeting went over two hours.