PDP Crisis: Bauchi Gov In Closed Door Meeting With Wike’s Group After Visiting Atiku

A day after Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, met with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, he’s locked in a meeting with five governors who have withdrawn from the Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign.

Four members of the G5 governors, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State are in a closed door meeting in Bauchi.

Reports monitored by our Correspondent said Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who was in Benue on Monday with his G5 colleagues to inaugurate some projects completed by Ortom, was however absent.

Only Makinde is seeking re-election among the five governors.

THE WHISTLER gathered that the visit of the G5 governors is to assure Mohammed of their support for his reelection following his accusation that Atiku had sidelined him from the party’s presidential campaign council and has promised “to deal with” him for contesting against him during the party’s presidential primary in May.

Mohammed had in a long letter addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, threatened to boycott the presidential campaign council and look for a different political alliance in order to get his re-election realised.

He had also demanded Atiku’s public apology and repudiation of those he said were being used by the former Nigerian Vice President to isolate him and frustrate efforts geared towards his reelection.

This paper further gathered the G5 governors who have consistently demanded that Ayu must step down before they support Atiku for the 2023 election would make both moral and financial support to assure Mohammed that nothing short of his reelection would be attained.

This would be to ensure he joins the group and distances himself from the Atiku campaign.

A source however confided in THE WHISTLER that Mohammed had approached the G5 governors before making his feeling about Atiku known. And one of the conditions given was for a public statement to prove his readiness to join the anti-Ayu/Atiku forces before they could step in to help.

Although Atiku had met Mohammed on Tuesday evening, sources said it was not enough to assure Mohammed of his support especially as he had demanded a public apology.

The meeting is being held behind closed-door as at the time of filing this report.