The expected peace talks between the teams of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Atiku Abubakar has been threatened over disagreements.
Daily Report recalls that a reconciliation meeting between both camps is billed for Friday, August 19.
One strong bone of contention between both parties is the continuation of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
According to sources, Wike’s team is bent on demanding for the resignation of Iyorchia once the meeting gets underway, a move Atiku’s camp has vowed to oppose.
The source further added that the meeting would not proceed if Atiku’s men failed to support the call for Ayu’s resignation.
A member of Wike’s team, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Ayu has shown that he cannot be trusted. He once said that once a presidential candidate emerges from the North, he will resign. Now, he cannot honour his own words. Can such a man be trusted?
“Ayu should leave in the interest of equity and fairness. He has to go before we agree to hold the reconciliation meeting. He is not an unbiased umpire. He worked for Atiku.”
The rift between both parties could not be sorted as the peace talk earlier fixed for Monday was shifted over the absence of Atiku’s camp.
However, indications were rife on Wednesday that both camps were yet to agree on the venue of Friday’s meeting.
A source in Atiku’s camp claimed that both camps had agreed to hold the peace talk in Abuja.
However, a source in Wike’s camp denied the claim, saying no one in the governor’s team was aware of the meeting holding in Abuja.
“In respect of the meeting to settle the disagreement between Wike and Atiku, and as a counter to the statement that an agreement had been reached for the meeting to be held in Abuja on Friday, we are stating categorically that the meeting will be held in no place other than Port Harcourt.
“That is our position; we are unaware of the agreement that informed the claim that the reconciliation committee will meet in Abuja on Friday,” the source in Wike’s camp said.
Meanwhile, a member of the reconciliation panel from Atiku’s camp told Punch that the party could not afford to remove Ayu at this time.
The source said removing the PDP National Chairman would put the party on the back foot in the run up to the 2023 general elections, adding that Wike’s camp ought to focus on ending the rift and not give conditions.
‘’The panel is empowered to resolve the crisis between Atiku and Wike but that does not mean the governor can push the party around or dictate impossible terms and conditions.
‘’Though, he is important to the PDP, he cannot dictate to the party. So, the various conditions attributed to his camp such as the resignation of the party chairman cannot sail through. Removing the chairman less than eight months to the election is a recipe for defeat and we cannot accept that,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, in a reaction to calls for the party to convene a meeting to settle the warring parties, explained that the party had a procedure for handling such issues.
“The party always has procedures to convene meetings, we are not even aware of what he said. The party has not received any call to that effect. You are just telling me now as news. The PDP is one, we are united.
“We are working towards the goals and mission of this party, discussions are going on. We recognise the need to be steadfast in the interest of the Nigerian people.’
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