The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday met the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in London.
The meeting was held a few hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, met the governor.
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, joined Atiku at the meeting while Wike attended the meeting with his allies including Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State; Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, among others.
The opposition party has been embroiled in crisis since the conclusion of its presidential primary election in May.
Wike had contested the presidential ticket, but he lost to the former vice-president.
The cracks widened after Atiku Abubakar named Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
Following the announcement, some party stakeholders expressed concerns that Atiku overlooked Wike — who was said to have been recommended by a panel set up at Atiku’s instance.
The division in the party worsened after Atiku granted an interview to Arise TV, during which he gave his rationale for overlooking Wike.
Days after the interview, Wike fired back, accusing the party’s presidential candidate of telling “many lies”.
Atiku has been making efforts to reconcile with Wike but there has been little progress thus far. Last week, a three-member delegation he constituted met with Wike’s team in Rivers.
The Rivers governor is reportedly demanding the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, PDP national chairman, as a precondition for peace talks.
