Loyalists of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State have proposed the appointment of Taofeek Arapaja as acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Naija News reports that Atiku and Wike, alongside some governors, had been at loggerheads since May 2022, when Atiku emerged as the presidential candidate of the PDP.
The crisis escalated after Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was unveiled as Atiku’s running mate on June 16. Moves to reconcile all parties have failed.
Atiku had on Thursday met with Wike in London alongside governors of Abia, Benue, Adamawa, and Oyo States. There were other PDP stakeholders like Donald Duke who were in attendance.
According to Premium Times, Wike’s group, at the meeting, demanded the resignation of the national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as its condition for sitting down to negotiate with Atiku for the support of the group in the coming presidential election.
Giving reasons for insisting on Ayu’s resignation, Wike’s group stated that his removal would balance the leadership of the party in which all the top national positions in the PDP are being held by members from the northern zones of the country.
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