2023: PDP Crisis Worsens As Wike’s Loyalists Pull Out Of Atiku’s Campaign

Loyalists of the River State’s Governor, Nyesom Wike, have pulled out of the campaign council of Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 general election.

This comes amid pressure on the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to resign. Amid the pressure on Ayu to resign, the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, Walid Jibrin, relinquished his role, yet Wike’s camp rejected this.

Last week when Atiku visited Oyo to meet with party stakeholders, Governor Seyi Makinde, a strong ally of Wike, reiterated the call for Ayu to step down. The call for the party’s national chairman’s registration had divided stakeholders in the South West as the majority queued behind the Ayu, who is currently out of the country.

During a meeting held in Port Harcourt on Wednesday morning, Wike’s loyalists vowed not to partake in Atiku’s campaign activities until Ayu steps down.

Chief Olabode George, who walked out of the meeting where Jibrin’s resignation was announced, read the communique on behalf of the group.

“The published presidential campaign council list translates to putting the cart before the horse, the pertinent issue remains the Ayu leadership. We, therefore, resolve that senator Iyorchia Ayu resigns as the national chairman for an acting chairman of southern Nigeria extraction. We resolved not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr Iyorchia Ayu,” he said.

Former Governors Olusegun Mimiko, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Jonah Jang, Ayo Fayose and Donald Duke, former Justice Minister, Mohammed Adoke; Prof Jerry Gana, former Information Minister; South-South Chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih; and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, were among those who attended the meeting which was held at Wike’s Port Harcourt residence.

Many of those who attended the meeting are members of the opposition party’s presidential candidate’s over 300-man campaign team.

On Monday, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State called on the PDP’s national leadership to address Wike’s grievances, saying dismissing him would portend danger for the party in the 2023 general elections.

Campaigns for the 2023 general election will kick off exactly a week from now.