The crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, may not abate soon as indications emerged on Tuesday that the leadership of the party appears to be dilly-dallying with the request made by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, a situation that has led to a standoff between opposing camps in the party.
This came as PDP supporters from Delta state, under the aegis of Delta State Mandate Group, yesterday, drummed support for the Senator Iyiochia Ayu-led PDP National Working Committee, NWC.
Multiple sources, who spoke with Vanguard in confidence, hinted that the dilly-dallying by the PDP leadership could be attributed to Wike’s recent outbursts.
Governor Wike had on Monday stated that he remained fully in charge of his state, warning that nobody can hold meetings against him in Abuja and be successful.
The governor also vowed that anybody who despised the political capability of the state would be visited with the same treatment.
Wike, however, chided perceived misguided Rivers politicians for twisting his assertions on Monday that the state is fully in his grips.
But in a chat with Vanguard, multiple sources said the decision by PDP leaders not to meet the demands of the governor might be responsible for Wike’s invitation of All Progressives Congress, APC, governors and leaders into Rivers state.
Another source familiar with the workings of the party, warned that failure by the PDP leaders to meet Wike’s demands, might affect the fortunes of the party in 2023.
The source said: “The party is dilly-dallying over Wike’s request. He has given them his conditions to support Atiku. Before the reconciliation, some leaders of the party said Wike should be ignored and since he is sensing that the PDP wants to ignore him, he is also showing them that he is important by allowing the All Progressives Congress, APC, to make inroads into his territory.
“The party is now in a panic mode and expressing worry that if they ignore Wike, it will be to their detriment and may affect the fortunes of the party. That is why they want to make peace with him.
“Wike is also angry that the Atiku camp has shut him and his group out of the scheme of things because they have shared some of the positions among themselves.
“One of the conditions he gave is that Ayu must resign and that Atiku should prevail on him (Ayu) to step down but when they approached Ayu, he refused to resign and asked the Atiku camp to protect him.
“Ayu is insisting that if he must resign, other members of the National Working Committee, NWC, must resign and a restructuring of the party positions must take place.
“That calls for a new convention entirely but Ayu said there is no time for that and there is no way they can call for a new convention. He has vowed not to resign until after the election.
“The problem now is the party cannot deliver that message to Wike now because the meeting that was to be held to deliberate on Wike’s conditions was cancelled.
“Most of the NWC members decided to back the national chairman because it will also affect them and if they don’t meet his condition, Wike will not work with them.
“If Wike does not work with them, he will remain in PDP but work against the party and this will be too dangerous for the party.
“That is the true state of things now and there is crisis within the party. Unfortunately, Atiku’s camp will not remove Ayu because of their interest.”
