The fence mending meeting held between the members board of trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike and his allies ended on a rather disappointing note as the parties could not make any meaningful headway after a four-hour closed-door deliberation yesterday in Government House, Port Harcourt.
They, however, agreed to meet again in Abuja on a date yet to be fixed.
The parley was part of efforts to reconcile by Wike and some other aggrieved southern PDP stakeholders with the party following the post presidential primary crisis that has bedvilled the party.
Wike is the leader of the G-5 which include Messrs Ifeanyi Ugwanyi (Enugu State), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), Samuel Ortom (Benue state), and Seyi Makinde (Oyo State).
Other Wike associate president at the meeting were the Rivers State PDP chairman, Mr. Desmond Akawor, Rivers Elders Forum chairman, Mr. Ferdinand Alabraba, former deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Mr. Chibudom Nwuche, Messrs Adawari Pepple, Emmanuel Anyanwu, Olaka Nwogu and Sam Jaja.
The BoT delegation led by its acting chairman and former senate president, Mr. Adolphus Wabara, also included Messrs Ibrahim Idris, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Shuaib Oyedokun, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, Mrs. Esther Uduehi and Zainab Maina.
Addressing journalists after the session, Wabara said the party would soon come out of its present crisis.
He said they had a frank discussion, but a conclusion had not been reached.
He said the meeting afforded them the opportunity to properly understand Wike’s concerns and to be better informed about the crisis.
He further said they were taking what they gathered from the governor back to the larger BoT house in Abuja for proper decision on the issue.
“We’ve been rubbing minds with His Excellency, the performing governor of Rivers State, Mr. Project. I think the meeting took about four hours.
“We have not concluded. It’s always easy to destroy but to make up, to make peace takes some time. But I think we are better informed, we have gotten some information. Every coin has two sides. We have been briefed by His Excellency. We will go back to Abuja to re-digest all that we gathered from His Excellency. We had very frank talks.
“I’m acting chairman of the board of trustees of this party. I do not have the exclusiveness to stand here and tell you what the Board of Trustees will come up with. We have come here, we are going back, we will convene a meeting of the Board of Trustees, brief them and that is when Nigerians will hear where the Board of Trustees stands. Since it is an advisory body, conscience of the party, we will be there to tell the party the truth and nothing but the truth about our findings,” he said.
He said, since this was the first meeting of the BoT intervening in the crisis, they were optimistic of attending to the issues as a family, adding that with Wike’s cooperation and other aggrieved four governors, PDP will win at the 2023 general elections across the country.
“But one good thing is that this family remains one. You know, we are still under the umbrella called PDP and by the special grace of God, we will end up very victorious and we will end up in the Villa in May 2023 with his cooperation and support of other governors; four of them. I think we will make progress, no doubt about it,” he said.
Wike who also spoke to journalists said what is important to all of them is to ensure that the unity of the party is not endangered.
He reiterated that he and his allies were not leaving the party, but are more interested that the contending internal issues be addressed adequately.
“What’s important is that the house is united for the war that is coming in front. So for me, the issue of whether they achieved peace or not today, is immaterial. What is material is that PDP is united.
“What is important is to have unity, even if it takes you longer days. I think that is the message he (Wabara) is conveying.
“We have said repeatedly that we are not leaving the party. We have said so. But that does not mean that there are no internal issues that ought to be sorted out. I think what they are here for is to see how they can sort out some internal issues.”
On whether he was hopeful the internal crisis would be resolved, Wike replied: “Once you are alive, why won’t you be hopeful. It’s only a dead person that is not hopeful. So, being alive means you are hopeful.”
Recall that Wike and his group in the south had boycotted the campaign flag-off of the party over some irreconcilable differences.
The G-5 and others are calling for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to pave the way for a southerner to take over.
They argue that both the PDP presidential candidate and the national chairman cannot come from the same region.
Bothe Ayu and Atiku are from the north
