Concerned over the state of affairs within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its presidential candidate in the last election, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, met with other bigwigs yesterday in Abuja to strategise on how to stop the party from being cornered by the G-5 governors.
Besides Atiku, other party leaders at the meeting which was held at the residence of former external affairs minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, are Atiku’s running mate and former governor Ifeanyi Okowa and former PDP national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
Also present at the closed door meeting were some PDP governors; Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa); Bala Mohammed (Bauchi); Sheriff (Delta);
Godwin Obaseki (Edo); Ademola Adeleke (Osun); Mutfwang- (Plateau); Dauda- (Zamfara).
Other party leaders at the meeting are former governor of Sokoto State, Sen Aminu Tambuwal; former governor of Niger, Babangida Aliyu; and former governor of Kano, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau.
No member of the National Working Committee (NWC) was present.
Atiku in his twitter handle said; “Earlier today, I joined other leaders and stakeholders of our great party, the @OfficialPDPNig, at a meeting in Abuja. The meeting was ripe with productive discourse and collaborative energy.”
LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the meeting was called to reflect on the unfolding events in the party.
Former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, was recently nominated for a ministerial position in the Tinubu administration. Before then, members of the G-5 governors and other party leaders had been hobnobbing with Tinubu.
A source conversant with the
meeting told our correspondent that the leaders deliberated on the unfolding presidential tribunal, the romance between the G-5 governors and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration.
It was learnt that the party leaders were displeased with the seeming inertia by the leadership over the recent appointment of Wike as a ministerial nominee.
Some of the leaders were worried that the appointment could be passed off as an attempt to portray the PDP as endorsing a government of national unity while still seeking to retrieve its mandate in court.
“We expect that the party leaders will engage the national leadership in the coming days over the unfolding events in the party. But we do agree that the quality of leadership has to improve,” a source said.
Attempts to ascertain why the NWC members were not present were abortive as calls placed to the national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, were not responded to.
Calls to Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, on the outcome of the meeting equally yielded no results.