By Ben Ogbemudia
The hopes of a lasting solution to the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were dashed yesterday when a peace meeting between the Board of Trustees and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, ended in deadlock.
The meeting, which lasted four hours had Dr Ibrahim Idris, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Tanimu Turaki (SAN), Esther Uduehi, and Zainab Maina on the BoT delegation.
On the part of Wike, were the Rivers State PDP Chairman, Desmond Akawor, Rivers Elders Forum Chairman, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, former deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, Senator Adawari Pepple, Emmanuel Anyanwu, Senator Olaka Nwogu, and Dr Sam Jaja.
The meeting, which ended at about 4.35 pm was held in a closed-door meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt.
*We’ll go back to Abuja to re-digest what the gov said- Wabara
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, the acting Chairman of the PDP BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said they had a candid discussion but that no decision had been reached.
He said, “We have not concluded. You know it is always easy to discuss but making peace takes some time. We are better informed. We have gotten some new information. Every coin has two sides. In concrete terms, it is a work in progress.
Wabara, who was a former Senate President, said the meeting allowed them to properly understand the concerns of Governor Wike and are better informed about the crisis.
“We have been briefed by His Excellency. We will go back to Abuja to re-digest all that we gathered from His Excellency. We had very frank talks. I’m acting chairman of the Board of Trustees of this party. I do not have the exclusiveness to stand here and tell you what the Board of Trustees will come up with.
PDP crisis:No deal as PDP BoT meet with Wike in port Harcourt
“We have come here, we are going back, we will convene a meeting of the Board of Trustees, brief them and that is when Nigerians will hear where the Board of Trustees stands. Since it is an advisory body, the conscience of the party, we will be there to tell the party the truth and nothing but the truth about our findings,” he added.
He said, since this was the first meeting of the BoT intervening in the crisis, they were optimistic about attending to the issues as a family.
“But one good thing is that this family remains one. You know, we are still under the umbrella called PDP and by the special grace of God, we will end up very victorious and we will end up in the Villa in May 2023 with his cooperation and support of other governors; four of them. I think we will make progress, no doubt about it,” he said.
Wabara, who described Governor Wike as an inestimable asset to the PDP, pointed out that ahead of the 2023 general elections, the governor’s infrastructural development in Rivers State is already campaigning for the party.
*Wike: Unity is important, even if it takes longer days to achieve
In his comment, Wike said what was important to all of them is to ensure that the unity of the party is not endangered.
Wike reiterated that he and his allies were not leaving the party, but are more interested that the contending internal issues be addressed adequately.
“What’s important is that the house is united for the war that is coming in front. So, for me, the issue of whether they achieved peace or not today is immaterial. What is material is that PDP is united.
“What is important is to have unity, even if it takes you longer days. I think that is the message he (Wabara) is conveying.
“We have said repeatedly that we are not leaving the party. We have said so. But that does not mean that there are no internal issues that ought to be sorted out. I think what they are here for, is to see how they can sort out some internal issues.”
