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PDP Crisis: Wike’s Camp Panics As More Chieftains Eye Atiku’s Coalition

Wike Vs Atiku 1

The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a dramatic twist.

The table appears to be turning against the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

PDP chieftains and party officers in the minister’s camp are the ones widely perceived to be stoking the crisis, for immediate and long term political gains.

The ensuing confusion has left the PDP prostrate, pushing the main opposition party to the brink of possible disintegration.

However, the momentum being gathered by the ongoing coalition talks, being spear-headed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, may have jolted Wike and his loyalists out of their accustomed complacency.

More troubling for the camp, is the emergence of a former President of the Senate, David Mark, as protem chairman of the coalescing group.

Mark is one of the highly respected PDP leaders who had, hitherto, remained committed to the ideals of the founding fathers of party.

Leaders of the coalescing group, at a media outing in Abuja on Tuesday, made a clarion call to PDP stakeholders aggrieved by the excesses and “unrestrained rascality” of the aggressor camp to join the coalition.

Besides Atiku and Mark, other prominent PDP chieftains at the meeting, were former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido; former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and former Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke.

Others included former PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus; former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu and his Ebonyi State counterpart, Sam Egwu among may others.

Apparently sensing potential mass defection from the PDP to the budding coalition, the Wike camp appears to be reviewing its disruptive approach and recaliberating its strategy.

THE WHISTLER had earlier reported how the Wike group had insisted on the cancellation of the party’s Monday, May 30 National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Armed policemen were drafted to the PDP national secretariat building where party leaders who reported for the NEC meeting were prevented from entering the premises.

Instead, the minister’s camp had slated its own “Expanded National Caucus” meeting for same day, in what was meant to be a counter move to the scheduled NEC meeting.

Prominent party leaders, including the leadership of the Board of Trustees (BoT), were alarmed by the security blockade at the secretariat building for no just cause.

The BoT leaders and some governors who reported for the Elders and NEC meetings, were forced to get alternative venues for their meetings outside the secretariat.

In a dramatic twist however, the aggressor camp later allowed the NEC meeting to hold, although far beyond schedule.

“The police blackade of the national secretariat was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. It was a clear signal to concerned stakeholders that anythibg at all, no matter how absurd, can be visited on the party and even the members, at some people’s pleasure.

“It was at that point some key stakeholders, including some governors, started rethinking their continuing membership of the PDP. This party is broken beyond repairs and the peace that seems to have returned is the peace of the graveyard.

“I can confirm to you that mass defection from the PDP to the coalition looms ahead and I would say that only a political miracle can save the situation.

“Many well-meaning and right thinking members have lost faith in the PDP because of the way the people that hijacked it are running its affairs,” a source told THE WHISTLER on the telephone on Wednesday morning.

And in what appeared a panic move, the party’s controversial National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, put out a notice for a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC).

The media were being invited to the meeting, slated for 11am on Wednesday, in what observers said was part of the moves at lessening a burden of guilt and winning back the confidence of those who may have lost faith in the party.

The NWC meeting was about to commence as of the time of filing this report.

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