Wike Summons Rivers PDP Leaders, Stakeholders Meeting

Governor Nyesom Wike of River State has summoned a meeting of leaders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

The meeting which started at 2 pm on Thursday is the first in the state since the party’s presidential primary and the crisis that followed Wike’s failure to grab the presidential and vice-presidential ticket.

The meeting is being held at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

While Wike was quoted to have said, “Nothing has happened yet, but something will soon happen,” sources disclosed that the party stakeholders in the state had yet to hear directly from the governor since the crisis engulfed the opposition party.

It was gathered that Governor Wike is expected to brief PDP leaders and stakeholders on his position and the next line of action regarding the party crisis.

The source told The PUNCH that the crucial meeting was connected to the recent crisis in the party, as the governor would brief his men on the position taken by his team to pull out of the party’s presidential campaign council.

Those expected at the meeting are party leaders, members of the state executive council, the party’s local government chairmen, and selected others

Wike Camp Pulls Out

It will be recalled that on Wednesday, the political atmosphere received a jolt when the camp of the Rivers State Governor pulled out of the Campaign Council of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The Wike camp also vowed not to partake in Atiku’s campaign activities pending the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Naija News reports that the Wike camp made the decisions at a strategic meeting held in Port Harcourt and concluded in the early hours of Wednesday.

It was gathered that the Wike Camp decided to hold the meeting following the vote of confidence passed on Ayu as the party’s national chairman by the National Executive Committee (NEC) despite their demand for his resignation.

In a resolution read by a former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Bode George, the Wike camp insisted that its members will not work with Atiku until Ayu resigns and allow an acting Chairman from the South to lead the party.