PDP: The game of hide and seek Atiku, Wike

LEON USIGBE writes about the lingering schism between Atiku Abubakar, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and Nyesom Wike, the party's presidential primary runner-up.

The drama is relentless, the suspense intense, and the plots more complicated by the minute. All indications point in the direction that things will stay the same, at least, for the foreseeable in the extraordinary tiff between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and his main rival for the ticket, Governor NyesomWike of Rivers State. The springboard of the current debilitating crisis in the main opposition party has gone through several twists and turns and is creating fears in the party as well as among outsiders watching the unfolding events that it may be about to spoil its best chance of returning to power at the center after his spectacular fall from favor in 2015. While it seems that attempts at consensus are producing results, new grouses, accusations and demands seem to be springing up, sending all trotting back to the drawing board .

Political observers think the party may be wasting time. While the embargo on political campaigns is due to be lifted next month, he cannot lift his presidential campaign council, apparently because there is no inherent unanimity on goals. So, rather than being deeply involved in crafting campaign strategy, critics observe, he is bogged down with thoughts of what Wike's strategy might evoke next.

However, despite the apparent game of hide and seek, Atiku and Wike recently agreed to meet vicariously on a committee and talk about their differences. The reconciliation committee is headed by Adamawa State Governor Fintiri, a key supporter of the former vice president. Named with him from Atiku's side are former minister, Adamu Waziri; former PDP gubernatorial candidate in Ekiti State, EyitayoJegede; former Cross River State Governor LiyelImoke and JideAdeniji. To pressure Wike's interest in the committee, former Federation Attorney General and Justice Minister Bello Adoke; former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana; former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke; former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, and former Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo.

The inaugural meeting of the committee was scheduled for last Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but had to be canceled as Atiku representatives failed to show up in the Rivers State capital. They did not travel to Port Harcourt to protest Wike's insistence that the meeting be held there. Instead, the Atiku camp demanded a change of venue with the argument that a meeting of this nature would necessarily have to be held in the nation's capital. However, the two parties later agreed to meet from the following Friday to Monday in Abuja in the hope that the desirable atmosphere could be created to move the reconciliation effort forward.

This came against the backdrop of last week's urgent trip to France by Wike and four of his supporting PDP governors to fine-tune their strategy as they hope to secure concessions from Atiku before a resolution to the lingering crisis is found. . The governors who accompanied him are Sam Ortom (Benue), SeyiMakinde (Oyo), IfeanyiUguanyi (Enugu) and OkezieIkpeazu (Abia). They returned to Port Harcourt on Monday in time to monitor the aborted meeting. All have so far withheld their support for Atiku following the perceived humiliation Wike allegedly suffered at the hands of the former Vice President who bypassed him to choose his Delta State colleague, Ifeanyi Okowa, despite the recommendation of the committee set up to help the presidential candidate to arrive at a suitable running mate.

Even while endorsing the Fintiri-led reconciliation committee, Wike continued to express his displeasure with the vibes emanating from the presidential candidate's camp, particularly his perception that Atiku had broken into his camp to poach some of his most loyal supporters in Rivers State. Some PDP leaders in the state who were seen as the governor's main loyalists, including former Speaker of the House of Representatives Austin Okpara and former senator who represented Rivers East, Lee Maeba, have now aligned themselves with Atiku. against their state governor, drawing his wrath. It added a new twist to the feud with the Atiku camp even though the former vice president remains confident of a resolution of the differences. "Wike is angry that some of his men have come to join Atiku without his permission," a party source told the Nigerian Tribune, but assured the issue was being resolved.

To his credit, as also confirmed by party sources, despite his outward posturing, the Governor of Rivers State made no demands of the presidential candidate. But this has the consequence of creating anxiety in the Atiku camp...