By Prince Sekat, Jos
In the PDP, post-presidential primaries and nomination of vice presidential candidate crisis has paused efforts to raise a campaign council.
Some PDP governors and supporters of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State have reportedly listed conditions to back Atiku. Wike came second in the presidential primaries; he was the choice of the selection committee for the vice-presidential slot but Atiku chose Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, a development that has been raising dust in the main opposition party.
Thus, barring last-minute changes, reconciliation efforts and the setting up of the Presidential Campaign Council, will top the agenda as members of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, and National Working Committee, NWC, meet today.
Vanguard gathered in Abuja yesterday that top members of the party have been holding series of meetings to calm frayed nerves ahead of the meeting.
A member of the party’s BoT who pleaded anonymity so as not to “pre-empt the outcome of the meeting” said so much work had gone into the process.
The source said: “We will be meeting later tomorrow (today) to iron out all of these issues. They are not as serious as some of you in the media are trying to make it look.
“Yes, there are issues as is normal in politics. Our respected governors irrespective of the presidential aspirants they supported during the primaries are interested in the victory of the PDP in 2023 and have resolved to support the party to achieve this goal. Our collective survival as not only politicians but also Nigerians depend on this.
“The process of reconciliation is an ongoing one and will continue. We are all aware of the fact that time is not on our side and we need to expedite action on the setting up of the presidential campaign council.
“We need everybody on board in order to have a robust campaign. That is why we want to bring the aggrieved persons to the table, address their grievances and move on. It is our hope that by the middle of this month at the most, our campaign team will be fully on ground.”
Contacted, Mazi Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, said the candidate and party leaders are working assiduously towards resolving all outstanding issues.
He said: “His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, as you already know is a committed party man who is interested in the unity of the party ahead of the 2023 elections and beyond. Discussions are ongoing and we are confident that we will put all of this behind us and make progress. “
Freelance Reporters 