JUST IN: Wike, PDP Governors, Others Fail To Agree On Defection

The factional meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, called by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to discuss events in the party since the presidential primary election of the party has ended in deadlock.

The meeting which involved some serving governors and former governors as well as former ministers and other senior members of the party, who worked for the actualisation of the presidential ambition of the governor failed to agree on the next line of action on Sunday evening.

Wike had emerged second during the PDP’s presidential primary election in May to Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President.

Atiku also overlooked the governor in his choice for running mate, choosing instead Ifeanyi Okowa, the Delta State Governor.

On Sunday, the call for an enlarged meeting by the Rivers State Governor, after meeting several political stakeholders across the political divide, was seen as a move to announce their defection.

However, the meeting which was held at Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, resolved to have a go at another meeting, failing to agree on their support for Atiku or to defect from the party.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting whose agenda was not known and no communique issued afterward, a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Jerry Gana, said, “This is the first meeting we are holding with all our candidates in the states after the primaries. We are united as one.

“We know that developments will unfold and when they do, we shall brief Nigerians,” said Gana, who was Wike’s North Central Presidential Campaign Coordinator.

THE WHISTLER had reported that those who attended the meeting were Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, and Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Former governor of Cross River, Donald Duke, former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam and former governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, also attended the meeting.

Others were former Bayelsa State governor Seriake Dickson, former governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris, and former Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang.

Our Correspondent also confirmed that former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, and a member of the House of Representatives from Kogi State, Tajudeen Yusuf, were among many senior members of the party who attended the meeting.

Sources at the meeting said the position of the group would be made known after another round of meeting.

The crisis in the party took a turn for the worse during the week when Wike branded Atiku “a liar” following a tv interview he granted.

Since the outcome of the selection process for who becomes the party’s vice presidential running mate, Wike and his associates have kept away from the party with insinuations they could decamp from the PDP.

The meeting on Sunday left no one in doubt that the crisis in the party is far from over, even as the presidential campaign window is a month away.