PDP Reconciliation: Wike, Associates Keep NWC, BoT Members Waiting

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

For six days after  the National Executive Committee (NEC) mandated the National Working Committee (NWC) and the Board of Trustees (BoT) to ensure a reconciliation between the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and his associates, the embattled governor is yet to respond.

 Both NWC and the BoT are billed to meet all aggrieved persons this week before the release of the members of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council.

Wednesday last week, the NWC mandated  a committee of the whole members to engage Wike, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of  Abia state governor.

Also, enlarging the reconciliatory engagement, the NEC mandated the BoT led by the new acting chairman, Adolphus Wabara to ensure reconciliations with Wike and his political associates.

However,  while THISDAY   gathered that the NWC and the BoT have written to the Wike, Makinde, Ikpeazu and others, an NWC member  said: “We are expecting their responses before we commence.”

The mandate, the source said, “ is to meet the aggrieved governors one by one.”   

It was also gathered that the party has nominated all officials that would head the presidential campaign council, but will have to wait till the committee of the NWC meet all the governors of the party one by one and ensure proper reconciliation, that will bring everybody on board.

This, it  was  learnt, was to avoid a situation where some governors will reject their membership of campaign committees.

 Speaking in an interview with THISDAY, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, who confirmed the planned meeting with Wike and his associates,  said that it is the mandate of the executive committee for the NWC to form a committee of the  whole to approach all governors of the party before the commencement of the presidential campaigns.

He said that the NWC will also tap the expertise of the former senate president, Adolphus Wabara in this task, as he is a diplomat.

According to Ologunagba, “ we are commencing this week to meet with PDP governors. We will visit them one by one as we don’t want to take anything for granted.”

He said that they will meet the Rivers state governor,  Wike, but at the moment, they are  waiting to get a response from him on when to come to see him.

The PDP governors are sharply divided after the outcome of the May 28 presidential convention.

An NWC member said that the leadership of the party is worried over the continued silence of the Akwa Ibom state governor, Emmanuel Udom, as it cannot be said where he belongs at the moment.

The governors of Enugu, Rivers, Benue Oyo and Abia states are said to belong to the same camp, that is calling for the fairly distribution of national offices in the NWC, the governors of Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Taraba and Sokoto states are with the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

It is expected that after the conclusion of the NWC reconciliatory talks, then the party will be in a position to release the names of the members of the presidential campaign council.