Despite pressure, Atiku vows to stick with Okowa

 

There are fears that PDP governors, who feel insulted by Atiku, may not help out the party in 2023.

The uneasiness in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following its May 28 presidential primary and the decision of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate to Atiku Abubakar in 2023, blew open on Wednesday.

Governors on the platform of the party disregarded the initiation of the campaign council for its Osun governorship candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, in what seemed areas of strength for a stupendous plan to dump Atiku and Okowa in the near future.

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party had on Wednesday, inaugurated its campaign council for the Osun state governorship governorship election.

The election is booked to happen on July 16. The PDP had named Douye Diri, governor of Bayelsa, as chairman of the committee.

Seyi Makinde of Oyo; Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto; Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia; Nyesom Wike of Rivers; Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu; Bala Mohammed of Bauchi; Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa; Godwin Obaseki of Edo, and Samuel Ortom of Benue were named as vice-chairmen.

In any case, they were all missing from the inauguration, including Diri.

With Atiku and Okowa, PDP stays a superior decision for Nigeria

Just Okowa, PDP vice-presidential candidate and Darius Ishaku, of Taraba State were the governors present. Party insiders told our reporter that the governors were all the while still lamenting the decision of Okowa as Atiku's running mate in opposition to their suggestion.

14 out of the 17 individuals from the party accused of selection of a running mate for Atiku, were said to have leaned toward Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike for the position. However, Atiku agreed to Okowa, saying he did as such after due counsels with stakeholders and in consideration of competence.

He said Okowa fulfilled every one of the characteristics he had illustrated, adding that he needed a VP with the characteristics of a president, who could succeed him at a moment's notice, that is to say, a president-in-waiting.

But instead of being persuaded by the clarification of the previous Vice President, the governors deciphered the activity as misdirection and sending them on pointless pursuit, considering that it was Atiku that had requested that they waitlist candidates for him to choose one.

 Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, who gave clue of the unfurling emergency in an interview with Arise Television, uncovered that everything isn't wellwithin the party.

Ortom had communicated dissatisfaction that the party leadership was yet to address the worries of members, making inference to the choice of Okowa as a slap on his colleagues.

He said: "I was among the 17 member committee set up by Atiku and 14 of us in the council said the individual ought to be Wike. Sadly, Atiku picked Okowa in his insight.

"You can't disregard the choice of a panel you set up yourself and anticipate that individuals should be cheerful. Until further notice, I have gone into hibernation."

Inquired as to whether he would support the PDP applicant in the 2023 elections, he said: "I'm in hibernation. I'm praying. At the point when I finish the prayers, anything that God guides me to do, I will do. We anticipate that Atiku should accomplish all the more yet we are not seeing that."

Wike, who has been at the focal point of the stalemate, has not emerged to eliminate any confusion on his next line of action, giving space to ideas that he might dump the party. He was fairly seen in an image thought to have been taken in Turkey with his Abia counterpart and ally, Okezie Ikpeazu.

Similarly, the National Secretariat of the Party, has not emerged on the genuine situation inside it. The National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has additionally not been near, energizing theories that he might have been suspended.

Nonetheless, the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, has excused the implication, portraying it as totally bogus and a result of the creative mind of underhandedness, focusing on that Ayu was on short vacation abroad.

"For the evasion of uncertainty, the PDP and the NWC is joined together and Dr. Iyorchia Ayu stays as the National Chairman. Dr. Ayu took a merited, fourteen day leave on 21st June, 2022. He will be back the following week to continue obligations, explicitly on July 6, 2022", Ologunagba said in a statement.

Regardless of the clarification by the exposure secretary, there are fears that the governors who feel insulted by Atiku in his decision of Okowa, may not help out the party in 2023.