Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
Prior to the peace negotiations between Nyesom Wike’s camp and those of presidential contender Atiku Abubakar, the status of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, has been threatened.
Track News had previously reported that the Atiku camp has changed the date of the Monday reconciliation meeting to Friday.
Both sides have yet to agree on a location for the meeting to mend the divide between the offended parties, though.
Resignation of Ayu
According to information obtained by this magazine, Wike’s team insisted that Ayu resign as a condition for the discussions to continue, but Atiku’s delegation had sworn to reject the demand.
According to a PDP national chairman source quoted by Punch, Wike cannot be trusted because he broke his word on the emergence of a Northern presidential candidate.
Under the condition of anonymity, a member of Wike’s team said, “Ayu has demonstrated that he cannot be trusted. He had declared that he would step down as soon as a contender for president emerged from the North. He can no longer keep his word now. Can one trust a man like that?
In the spirit of equality and fairness, Ayu ought to depart. Before we agree to hold the reconciliation meeting, he has to leave. He is not a fair arbitrator. He was employed by Atiku.
Uncertainty
There were strong signs that the location of the meeting on Friday is still a point of contention for both parties.
Wike’s camp asserted that no one in the governor’s team was aware of the decision to arrange the meeting in Abuja, contrary to Atiku’s claim that both parties had consented for it to take place there.
The reconciliation meeting would only take place in Port Harcourt, according to Wike’s men, if Ayu resigned in the party’s best interests.
In response to the claim that an agreement had been reached for the meeting to take place in Abuja on Friday, a source in Wike’s camp stated: “With regard to the meeting to settle the dispute between Wike and Atiku, and as a counter to the statement that the meeting would take place in Port Harcourt only.
We don’t know the terms of the agreement that led to the allegation that the reconciliation committee will convene in Abuja on Friday, so that is where we stand.
