12/12/2021
Nigeria: PDP Govs Hold Meetings in UK, Spain on Consensus Presidential Candidate
In a bid to ensure that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerges through a consensus arrangement, the governors elected on the platform of the party have undertaken two European tours in quick succession, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
THISDAY gathered that the governors held strategic meetings in those tours as part of their ongoing efforts to ensure that the issue of the presidential candidate of the party does not polarise its members along regional lines.
The investigation has also revealed that the governors were also billed to meet Sunday night in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, after a reception to be held in honour of the new Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that Ayu’s utterances during his inauguration have shown that the sole intent of the opposition party is to grab power by any means in 2023.
The first European tour by the PDP governors, it was learnt, was a visit to London moments after the October 30 and 31 national conventions while the second visit was a visit to Spain last week.
The first visit to London was said to have been undertaken by the governors of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike; Mr. Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Mr. Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom).
Among the governors on the second trip to Spain were: Wike; Makinde; Ikpeazu; Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa); and Dr. Samuel Ortom (Benue).
It was also gathered that the governors of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, and Sokoto State,
Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambawul did not attend the meetings due to their ongoing consultations on their presidential aspirations.
A source privy to the strategic meetings told THISDAY last night that Governor Ortom is the architect of a consensus presidential candidate for the PDP and would host the meeting in Makurdi tonight.
According to the source, the PDP governors while in London met a former Senate President, Dr. Bukola
Saraki.
He further disclosed that it was from London that Saraki arrived in Lagos last week to receive the Lagos APC members, who defected to the opposition party
“PDP governors from the South agreed at the London meeting that they must play a significant role in the choice of who will fly the party’s presidential ticket,” he said.
He further disclosed that because of Wike’s relationship with Real Madrid Football Club, he travelled, in addition with other governors, with the Adamawa State governor, Fintiri who did not make the earlier London trip.