By our reporter| In an effort to de-escalate the crisis rocking Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar on Thursday met with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike in Abuja.
The meeting was held behind closed doors at the residence of Professor Jerry Gana, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees.
Credible sources at the meeting told reporters that the duo met as efforts to resolve their differences continue within the PDP.
According to one of the sources, Thursday’s meeting was “positive”, and more “fence-mending” meetings will be held in the coming days.
“Nyesom Wike and Atiku met today at professor Jerry Gana’s house in Abuja. It was a good meeting and there will be more meetings in the coming days,” he said.
The PDP board of trustees had earlier on Thursday resolved to reconcile both parties ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Wike, his allies, and some PDP governors met on Sunday in Abuja to chart a way forward, and at the end of that meeting, Jerry Gana had said Nigerians would be briefed about the party’s affairs as “developments unfold”.
“We have met together for the first time after the primaries of the PDP. We have frankly reviewed matters among ourselves,” he had said.
“We want to confirm that we are solidly together as a group and we also want to let the nation know that we shall keep our people briefed as developments unfold.”
The crisis in the party escalated after Atiku Abubakar picked Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election, ahead of Wike, who many leaders in the party had expected to emerge following his strong showing at the party’s presidential primary held in May.
Last Friday, Wike called Atiku a liar following comments he made during an interview with Arise Television, although he vowed to remain in the main opposition party.
Atiku subsequently promised to unite the party ahead of next year’s presidential election.
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