By Alexandra Dominic-Chukwu
ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has hosted a crucial meeting with some Governors, present and former, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who coordinated his presidential campaign.
The meeting was held behind closed doors at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Sunday.
Although the agenda of the meeting was sketchy as at the filing the report, it might revolve around the events that have unfolded in the aftermath of the PDP presidential primary that threaten to split the main opposition party.
Those at the meeting include Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Also present are some former governors such as Donald Duke of Cross River State, Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State, and Jonah Jang of Plateau State.
Recall that in May, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar polled 371 votes to emerge as the PDP’s flagbearer ahead of Wike who scored 237 votes to come second in the party’s presidential primary.
Weeks after the primary was held, the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku named Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate in the forthcoming election.
However, this led to a disagreement among party stakeholders as some commended the choice of Okowa while others rejected it, saying Atiku should have picked Wike who was the runner-up in the primary in the stead of his Delta counterpart.
In a bid to address the perceived grievances of the governor, the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the PDP set up a reconciliatory committee to meet with Wike of Rivers State over the fallout of the party’s presidential primary and crisis trailing the nomination of a running mate.