Wike, Atiku Rift : PDP South West Leaders Move To Present Common Stand

By Ayodele Oni

Details of last weekend’s meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, by some leaders of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) from south west are beginning to unfold.

The leaders among whom were Party Chairmen, former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, had met with Governor Seyi Makinde last Sunday.

The meeting, which was said to be behind closed doors, was confirmed by one of Fayose’s Media Aides, Lere Olayinka, on his Facebook page.

There are indications that one of the main issues discussed at the meeting centred on the stand of the zone in the ongoing rift in the leadership of the party at national level.

Fayose and Makinde have been fingered among those behind Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in the post Presidential Primary election crisis rocking the PDP.

The Rivers state Governor has insisted that with the emergence of Atiku Abubakar from the North as the Presidential flagbearer of the party, Dr Iyorcha Ayu should resign his appointment as National Chairman of PDP.

The Ibadan meeting is also reported to have discussed the likely successor of Ayu in the event of zoning the position to the South-west.

The PDP Presidential candidate is expected in Lagos before the end of this week and may likely stop over in Ibadan in furtherance of his nationwide consultations with stakeholders.

The meeting also counselled Party Chairmen from the zone on the need to speak with one voice on the current situation for as long as it lasts, in order not to portray south west as being divided.