Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s meetings with the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, during their recent visit to the United Kingdom have raised the political tempo over who becomes Nigeria’s president in 2023.
Wike is said to be weighing where and his political camp will invest their support in the coming presidential election after he fell out with his party’s leadership in the aftermath of the primaries which he lost to Atiku and was also overlooked for running mate in favour of Rivers State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.
At the London meetings were also former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as well as Wike’s allies, Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia),
Wike, who returned to Nigeria yesterday, said they were in London consulting with other party leaders for a better Nigeria.
LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt that the presidential candidates of the APC and Labour Party are also seeking Wike’s support ahead of the 2023 general election.
For now, it is not clear where Wike and his camp are leaning towards among the three leading candidates that were at the London meetings.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has come out in opposition to another politician of northern extraction replacing President Muhammadu Buhari, is reportedly lobbying Wike to dump Atiku and support the candidacy of Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State.
Obasanjo had also in the week met with Tinubu, the APC candidate, at his presidential library in Abeokuta. The outcome of that meeting was not made public but Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is an ally of Tinubu and was present in the meeting, expressed optimism they had the former president’s support.
He was later chastised for making that comment by a spokesman of Obasanjo.
RELATED: Atiku Meets Wike In London
Meanwhile, Atiku’s loyalists are responding to emerging details of the conditions that Nyesom Wike set for supporting his party’s candidate, which include the resignation of party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, and that Atiku spend only one term in office, after which the presidency would return to the south.
Speaking with journalists on arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport yesterday, Wike said his team was more interested in a better Nigeria, and was consulting widely with those who mean well for the country.
The Rivers State governor arrived in Port Harcourt from the United Kingdom in company of the governors of Benue and Abia states, Samuel Ortom and Okezie Ikpeazu, respectively.
He stated that topmost on the agenda in all the meetings was how to make Nigeria better than what it is currently, pointing out that all was not well with the country.
Wike said: “I can confirm that this is the first time as a team that we are meeting with presidential candidates. We met with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and we met with our leader, former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo.
“We met the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. We also met with our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. For whatever it is worth, consultation is ongoing.
“Whatever we are talking about is for the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. It is not parochial and tied to one person or group of persons. We believe that with what is going on, it will be in the interest of Nigerians at the end of the day.”
The Rivers State governor, who decried the situation where standard, training and competence have always been traded for mediocrity, said leadership should not be about one individual and the interest of his family, but about the collective interest of everybody.
He said: “Consultation is still ongoing. Never mind some people who do not believe in the existence of this country. Leadership is not about you and your family. Leadership is about everybody.
“It’s unfortunate that we are in a country now where a man finishes eight years as a governor and brings his own son as a governor, too, and as a member of the National Assembly.
“It’s only in this part of the world that you can see that, when we are talking about poverty everywhere. These are people who do not mean well for this Nigeria.”
Wike also wondered why religion and ethnicity are used as the tenable identity to describe Nigerians when competence was required.
The governor said: “The only identity they have in this country is religion and ethnicity, nothing more. It’s either ‘I’m a Christian or I’m a Muslim, I’m a Fulani or I’m an Igbo’. Nigeria cannot move forward except they think it will be them. That’s where we are.
“We are in a country where someone with a primary school certificate can be appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. That tells you how bad this country has become, but with our consultation, all these will be a thing of the past. No amount of intimidation or blackmail will deter us. We are determined to right the wrong.”
Speaking also, the leader of Wike’s team and Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom stated that they had met with prominent persons in the last few days because of their belief that Nigeria was in distress and required concerted effort to rescue it.
Ortom stated that they had fruitful talks with those they had met and it was beyond partisan politics, because well-meaning Nigerians need to work together in ensuring that Nigeria survives.
He said: “For us, we are looking at the larger picture. Nigeria today is in distress. It is about, what can we do? No man or woman alone can get it right for our country.
“We are looking at how we can harness ideas and put ourselves together to ensure that we get out of the present challenges we are in Nigeria today.
“Consider what has happened from 2015 and where we are today, so, what we are doing is out of concern for our country, Nigeria.
“This is beyond partisan politics. We are looking on how we can come together and find a way of ensuring that Nigeria survives. Nigeria is on drip; Nigeria is on oxygen, and it is about how can we get out of this.”
The Benue State governor stated that the three separate meetings they had within the week were worthwhile sessions for them.
He said: “We individually also had earlier commitments in Europe, even if consultations are still going on because nothing concrete has been decided.
“The consultation is going on and will continue to go on. We are still going to meet here. We are still going to meet some persons some other time and see how we can work to ensure that Project Nigeria works.”
On his part, Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, emphasized that they were on a mission and were determined to find a way of rescuing Nigeria.
Ikpeazu noted that they are mindful of what society should bequeath to the present generation, their children and grand-children alike.
He said: “And this is a country with great potential and we have to protect it well. We think that we need to engage across the board.
“We are also looking at speaking with civil society organisations and those who have ideas, and with Nigerians in the diaspora. All the resources available in this country have to come together at this time to see how best we can move Nigeria forward.”
PDP Crisis: Ayu May Be Sacrificed
Just one month to the commencement of electioneering for the 2023 general elections, the issue of zoning and rotation of power is rearing its head again in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
There are indications that a fresh push for Dr Iyorchia Ayu to step down as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt yesterday.
Sources confided in LEADERSHIP Weekend that the move is connected to the outcome of the London meeting between PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike.
But it was gathered that the chairman has deployed moves to retain his position following meetings that were held on Thursday night in Abuja. It was believed that the party chairman held meetings with some party stakeholders to save his job.
The demand for Ayu’s removal had been on top of the demands by the Wike camp to Atiku in order to support his presidential campaign.
Another source confirmed to LEADERSHIP Weekend that the governors at the London meeting with Atiku reaffirmed their call for Ayu’s removal.
The source, however, said the presidential candidate, at the London meeting, referred Wike’s camp to the provision of the constitution that Ayu had a constitutional four-year tenure to run and that he cannot force the chairman to step down.
The source said Atiku, however, highlighted that the chairman can opt to step aside, adding that deliberations on the matter are still ongoing.
Recall that Ayu had insisted on finishing his four-year tenure as provided for in the party’s constitution, in a statement by his special adviser, Media and Communication, Simon Imobo-Tswam.
“We restate, therefore, that the PDP national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has not resigned and has no plan of resigning. For clarity and emphasis, he was elected for a tenure of four years.”
Ayu’s aide cited Sections 45 and 47 of the PDP constitution as being clear on the removal and/or resignation of the national chairman.
Also, the national publicity secretary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, while interacting with newsmen recently, also explained why it will be difficult to remove Ayu.
He said: “We don’t want to go into a constitutional crisis. We recognise this as a party. But, as a party that is conscious of its constitution, we must equally be conscious of the exigencies of the time.”
However, beyond Wike’s campaign for Ayu’s removal, former national vice chairman (South), Chief Bode George, and former PDP presidential aspirant, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, had also urged Ayu to step down for a party chairman from the south to make for regional balancing in the party since its presidential candidate is from the North.
It was also learnt that moves to push for the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to hold next week has started ahead of concerns to set up the campaign council of the party.
Recall that presidential campaigns start on September 28, and while the APC had since elected its director general, the impasse between Atiku and Wike camps has stalled the constitution of the council in PDP.
Adamawa PDP Rejects 1-Term Condition For Atiku
Meanwhile, the Adamawa chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Barrister Tahir Shehu, yesterday said the party cannot succumb to intimidating condition that the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, should step down for Wike to produce his successor for the party.
Equally, he said, the party cannot agree to intimidating pressure that the party’s flag bearer, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, should serve one-term in office as president of Nigeria as another condition by Wike.
The party chairman, who said he was expressing a personal opinion to LEADERSHIP on telephone conversation in Yola Friday, said the conditions were not the outcome of the London meeting between the two warring personalities of the party, arguing that the outcome of London meeting is not yet out.
He, however, said Governor Wike is an important person in the party and can freely interact with APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at any given time.
“With or without Wike reconciling with the flag bearer of the party Atiku Abubakar, the party will ensure victory in 2023.
“In as much as Wike is an important person in the party, that does not mean that our party flag-bearer Atiku will succumb to intimidating pressure by Wike by giving conditions among which was that our party flag-bearer should serve for one term in office as president, which we said no.
“Another condition is that the national chairman of PDP should step down for Wike to bring his successor, which we equally said no.
“As a legal person, Wike being a lawyer, he should know the national chairman of the party was elected, not appointed, by a national convention of the party,” he said.
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