PDP govs meet over Wike, ‘packaging’ Dankwambo for presidency

Some PDP governors between Sunday night and early yesterday held
a closed door meeting at the Government House in Gombe, where they
reportedly discussed “the excessive powers” being wielded by
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State with a view to checkmating
him.

Sources said the meeting which had some PDP governors and
representatives of others in attendance, also witnessed the
presence of some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of
the party.

It was gathered that besides discussing how to reclaim the
party, the PDP leaders also discussed the probability of fielding
Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo as their presidential candidate,
next year.

Wike or his representative, as well as the National Chairman of
the party, Prince Uche Secondus, were conspicuously absent at the
meeting, with sources saying the duo deliberately absconded because
they were “the main subjects of discussion.”

Wike was widely reported to have worked for the emergence of
Secondus as PDP national chairman, and since the December 2017
convention, he (Wike) had remained “very powerful in the PDP.” Two
party stalwarts, professors Jerry Gana and Tunde Adeniran at the
weekend defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP); citing
Wike’s alleged overbearing influence as motivation for their
departure.

At the end of yesterday’s meeting in Gombe, the PDP leaders only
told journalists that they were not happy with President Muhammadu
Buhari’s alleged laxity in the fight against the Boko Haram
insurgents and the poor state of the economy.

Governors present at the meeting included Emmanuel Udom (Akwa
Ibom), Benedict Ayade (Cross River), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi
Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta),
Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), and Rear Admiral
John Jonah who represented Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa State.

The National Secretary of the party, Umar Tsauri and the Deputy
National Chairman (South), Elder Yomi Akinwumi were some of the NWC
members that attended the meeting.
The PDP had zoned its presidential ticket to the North and at
present, it had only two serving governors from the region,
Dankwambo who was serving his second term and his counterpart in
Taraba, Ishaku who was about three years into his first term.

“The governors are actually looking inwards,” a source said.
“They want one of their own as possible presidential candidate that
would challenge President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

Another source conversant with the internal intrigues of the
party confided that soon after the convention, Governor Wike had
been boasting that he handpicked the executives of the party and
would always have his way. “He is the one who prompted serious
party leaders to leave recently,” he said.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting, Fayose who is the Chairman
of the PDP Governors Forum, said the abduction of 110 girls at a
school in Dapchi, Yobe State, confirmed the ruling APC’s
“nonchalant attitude in the fight against insurgency in the North
East.”

The PDP governors also alleged that President Buhari’s
administration had failed to fulfil any of the campaign promises
made to Nigerians before the 2015 election.

Some PDP governors between Sunday night and early yesterday held
a closed door meeting at the Government House in Gombe, where they
reportedly discussed “the excessive powers” being wielded by
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State with a view to checkmating
him.

Sources said the meeting which had some PDP governors and
representatives of others in attendance, also witnessed the
presence of some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of
the party.

It was gathered that besides discussing how to reclaim the
party, the PDP leaders also discussed the probability of fielding
Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo as their presidential candidate,
next year.

Wike or his representative, as well as the National Chairman of
the party, Prince Uche Secondus, were conspicuously absent at the
meeting, with sources saying the duo deliberately absconded because
they were “the main subjects of discussion.”

Wike was widely reported to have worked for the emergence of
Secondus as PDP national chairman, and since the December 2017
convention, he (Wike) had remained “very powerful in the PDP.” Two
party stalwarts, professors Jerry Gana and Tunde Adeniran at the
weekend defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP); citing
Wike’s alleged overbearing influence as motivation for their
departure.

At the end of yesterday’s meeting in Gombe, the PDP leaders only
told journalists that they were not happy with President Muhammadu
Buhari’s alleged laxity in the fight against the Boko Haram
insurgents and the poor state of the economy.

Governors present at the meeting included Emmanuel Udom (Akwa
Ibom), Benedict Ayade (Cross River), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi
Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta),
Darius Ishaku (Taraba), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), and Rear Admiral
John Jonah who represented Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of
Bayelsa State.

The National Secretary of the party, Umar Tsauri and the Deputy
National Chairman (South), Elder Yomi Akinwumi were some of the NWC
members that attended the meeting.
The PDP had zoned its presidential ticket to the North and at
present, it had only two serving governors from the region,
Dankwambo who was serving his second term and his counterpart in
Taraba, Ishaku who was about three years into his first term.

“The governors are actually looking inwards,” a source said.
“They want one of their own as possible presidential candidate that
would challenge President Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

Another source conversant with the internal intrigues of the
party confided that soon after the convention, Governor Wike had
been boasting that he handpicked the executives of the party and
would always have his way. “He is the one who prompted serious
party leaders to leave recently,” he said.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting, Fayose who is the Chairman
of the PDP Governors Forum, said the abduction of 110 girls at a
school in Dapchi, Yobe State, confirmed the ruling APC’s
“nonchalant attitude in the fight against insurgency in the North
East.”

The PDP governors also alleged that President Buhari’s
administration had failed to fulfil any of the campaign promises
made to Nigerians before the 2015 election.