Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State (C) talking to newsmen after his selection as the chairman of PDP governors’ forum. Picture: The Guardian
Some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held a closed door meeting at the Government House in Gombe, where they reportedly discussed “the excessive powers” being wielded by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
Sources said the meeting which had some PDP governors and representatives of others in attendance, also witnessed the presence of some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
According to findings, besides discussing how to reclaim the party, the PDP leaders also discussed the probability of fielding Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo as their presidential candidate, next year.
Neither Wike nor his representative, as well as the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus, were present at the meeting, with sources saying the duo deliberately absconded because they were “the main subjects of discussion.”
Wike was widely reported to have worked for the emergence of Secondus as PDP national chairman, and since the December 2017 convention, he (Wike) had remained “very powerful in the PDP.”
Two party stalwarts, professors Jerry Gana and Tunde Adeniran at the weekend defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP); citing Wike’s alleged overbearing influence as motivation for their departure.
At the end of Monday’s meeting, the PDP leaders only told journalists that they were not happy with President Muhammadu Buhari’s alleged laxity in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents and the poor state of the economy.
Governors present at the meeting included Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Benedict Ayade (Cross River), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), , Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), and Rear Admiral John Jonah who represented Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.
The National Secretary of the party, Umar Tsauri and the Deputy National Chairman (South), Elder Yomi Akinwumi were some of the NWC members that attended the meeting.
A source conversant with the internal intrigues of the party confided that soon after the convention, Governor Wike had been boasting that he handpicked the executives of the party and would always have his way. “He is the one who prompted serious party leaders to leave recently,” he said.
