MUTTERINGS over the state of mind of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential hopeful Atiku Abubakar towards South East gathering pioneers have been squashed after mystery gatherings between the competitor and the wronged pioneers
Former Nigerian vice-President Atiku
Abubakar raises his hands after winning the presidential ticket of the
opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) during the party’s national
convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on October 7, 2018. Nigeria’s main
opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has picked Abubakar to challenge
President Muhammadu Buhari who is seeking a second term in presidential polls
scheduled for February 2019.
PDP governors in the South-East and Deputy
President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, have bought into the Atiku
presidential aspiration, following the meetings, Updatecrew gathered
They had been peeved over his attitude
since his emergence as the candidate of the party. The reconciliation was
achieved in one-on-one meetings held behind closed doors between Monday and
Tuesday. The meetings commenced, Monday, when Atiku flew to meet with Governor
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State in Enugu at the end of which the governor
pledged to work with Atiku and to be fully involved in the campaigns. Following
that, the candidate met Ekweremadu at the latter’s Abuja residence where they
also reconciled. “They bared their minds and the candidate accepted where he was
wrong, and the candidate said that he should be forgiven for any and all
errors, and Ekweremadu said that the interest of the party remains paramount.
It was a very good meeting,” a top party source who helped facilitate the
meeting and one of the early canvassers of the Atiku presidential ticket told
updatecrew
Atiku
also met with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in Abuja where they also harmonised and
made up. The only governor that the candidate did not meet personally was
Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, and that was because of scheduling
difficulties. Vanguard, however, gathered that the vice-presidential candidate,
Mr. Peter Obi was able to meet with Umahi and that issues have also been
straightened out between the two. There were insinuations that Atiku had
despised the person of Ekweremadu who is the highest political office holder of
the party and had kept the party together until the defection of Senate
President Bukola Saraki. The governors were also peeved that the emergence of
Obi as the presidential running mate was made in concert with political players
outside the region and that they were not carried along. Despite these
concerns, Atiku after the nomination of Obi travelled to Dubai for an elongated
stay during which he was said to have prepared for his campaign. On returning
to the country, the former vice-president met with South East leaders, but that
meeting was boycotted by the political class including the governors. Following
these concerns, some of Atiku’s associates had sought a joint meeting with the
Southeast leaders in Enugu, but that suggestion was said to have been shot down
for one-on-one meetings with the affected leaders and governors which Atiku
adopted. Senate President Bukola Saraki, chairman of the party, Prince Uche
Secondus were part of the meetings.
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