‘Why Not?’ — Atiku Responds To Question On Reconciliation With Wike

The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has stated that he is open to meeting with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to address aggrievances that might have arisen after he (Atiku) selected Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.

Atiku said this on Thursday when he landed in Ibadan ahead of his trip to Osun state where a governorship election will hold this weekend.

“It’s nothing new in politics that some people get aggrieved when things don’t go their way. So, we will overcome that, I have every belief that we are going to do that,” Atiku said

He also dismissed reports of alleged factions in the party, “there is nothing like a Wike camp or an Atiku camp, there is one PDP family,” the PDP flagbearer said.

When asked if he was planning to meet Wike one-on-one for some kind of reconciliation, Atiku responded “Why not? I’m open to that”

THE WHISTLER had exclusively reported how Wike had demanded the VP slot as his only condition to support the party’s flagbearer in the presidential election.

However, Atiku announced Okowa as his running mate on June 19, 2022, to the consternation of Wike and his supporters.

Consequently, Atiku’s choice of Okowa polarized the party with supporters of Wike describing Atiku’s action as an injustice.

Notable dissenting voices include Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and former Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose.

Ortom accused Atiku of doing ‘injustice’ to Wike by denying him the PDP vice-presidential slot against the collective wish of the party’s leadership.

“Wike should have been consulted and spoken to so that we can work together. Everybody must not be in position (but) the truth is that Wike would have been consulted in the first place even before the announcement (of Okowa as PDP VP candidate) was made,” he had said.

Similarly, Fayose accused Atiku of failing to fulfill his promise of making Wike his running mate after he was declared winner of the PDP presidential primary election.

“If the party is now a one-man show, we will show them that we can resist it. We are with Wike 100 percent,” Fayose said.

Meanwhile, Wike appears to be openly courting the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the recent APC governor’s visit to him.

A source had also told THE WHISTLER that Wike may support the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to reciprocate the latter’s alleged previous gestures.