The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, have begun a reconciliation process to save the soul of the nation’s biggest opposition political party, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Quest Times understands that the duo met at the instance of Jerry Gana, a former minister of information, in Abuja on Thursday, August 4.
There has been no love lost between Wike and Atiku for many years now; and both heavyweight politicians disagreed openly before the 2019 general elections and the 2022 primary elections.
Governor Wike had contested the PDP presidential ticket in May but lost to the former vice-president after the dramatic withdrawal of Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto, from the race.
The crisis in the PDP escalated after Abubakar picked Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
The reconciliation meeting between the two politicians is aimed at mending fences and allowing the party to forge a united front ahead of the 2023 general elections.
A source said Thursday’s meeting was “positive”, and that there would be more “fence-mending” in the coming days, which is aimed at resolving the crisis in the party since the presidential primary in May.
“Nyesom Wike and Atiku met today at professor Jerry Gana’s house in Abuja. It was a good meeting and there will be more meetings in the coming days,” the source said.
The meeting comes hours after the PDP BoT set up a committee to resolve the acrimony between both men.