By Olaolu Oladipo
In what appears to be an apparent change in stance, three aggrieved state governors elected on the platform of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are set to announce their decision to rescind their hardline position against their party and its Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Sources within the party who spoke with Saturday Telegraph during the week said the decision of the three governors might not be unconnected with the current stalemate within the ranks of the G-5 Governors over who to back apart from Abubakar for the Presidency among contenders jostling for the position in other parties.
The five governors alongside other chieftains of the party have in the last few months called for the sack of National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, from office citing the need to balance power within the party. Collectively they have formed a group called the Integrity Group to press home demands. They (members of the Integrity Group) have found it increasingly difficult to reach a conclusion on the alternative to the Adamawa State-born presidential hopeful, prompting some of them (members) to reconsider their stance on the issue. According to a competent source within the party, three of the governors have been reaching out to the leadership of the party as well as Abubakar to express their readiness to work for the party during the presidential election. “I can confirm to you that they have been sending emissaries to Waziri from time to time.
This action is due mainly to efforts of stake-holders who have continued to make strenuous efforts to resolve the crisis within the party,” the source said. The source who pleaded not to be mentioned listed the affected Governors ‘that have opened talks’ with the party to include Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia). “I am very confident that their decision to this effect will be made known to the country and the party very soon,” the source said. When pressed to state what the stance of the other two governors namely Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Nyesom Wike (Rivers) are, the source simply said, “For now, the two of them have proven to be hard nuts to crack because they are still sticking to their guns.” Another source close to Abubakar who also pleaded not to be named due to what he considered as a very sensitive nature of the issue confirmed that, “I know that a lot of talks are ongoing on both sides and they (the talks) are yielding positive results.”
He added that stakeholders from the two sides have stepped in “to bring everybody along on the same page and things are looking good for the likely resolution of the crisis very soon.” According to him, the change of attitude is due to prevailing local politics in their respective states which could prove fatal for them considering the fact that many of their supporters are vying for other offices under the banner of the PDP. “There is no way they won’t yield because of the local politics within their states. Many of them are currently under intense pressure from candidates contesting for other political offices and they (the G-5 Governors) are coming to terms with that reality,” the source said.
(New Telegraph)
