Atiku: Wike Meets With Akpabio, Others, Sets To Stop Tambuwal From Becoming Senate Minority Leader

Reports have indicated that the former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar are battling over producing the Senate Minority Leader.

According to a source who spoke to Vanguard, Atiku and the PDP are rooting for former Speaker of the House of Representatives and immediate past Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South) while Wike wants Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (PDP, Cross River North) for the position.

In a bid to stop Atiku’s camp from succeeding, Wike, last Thursday, reportedly held a marathon meeting with Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin at the National Assembly.

Wike, who was in a black suit, left the Senate wing of the National Assembly at about 6:30 pm in the convoy of Senate President Akpabio, Barau, and other Senators like Salihu Mustapha (APC Kwara Central), Jibril Isah (APC Kogi East ) as well as the recently appointed Senior Special Assistant, National Assembly Matters (Senate ) to President Tinubu, Senator Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel.

According to a source at the meeting, Wike’s plan with the leadership of the Senate is to have a minority leader from his camp in the PDP.

However, the source said that the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives are being very careful with the plan because they believe that if Wike succeeds in factionalizing PDP caucuses in both chambers, having unpopular minority leaders from their fold is possible.

The source said: “Having assisted APC to win the Presidential election in Rivers State in February, supported the aspirations of the now elected four presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly, getting his loyalists among the principal officers from PDP is his plan now. He is very serious with the plan and is getting the required support from the leadership of the National Assembly as well as membership of the other minority political parties in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.”