There has been disquiet in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the visit by the three governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) — Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State to Governor Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Friday.
The meeting appears to be part of sustained efforts by the ruling party to woo the governor.
A former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, who is also aggrieved over the emergence of a northern presidential candidate was present at the meeting.
A PDP member who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the meeting between Wike and the APC governors has sparked fresh anxiety in the party, especially as it came on the back of previous meetings with Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, who had dumped the PDP for APC in 2020, as well as some other notable opposition members.
It was learnt that since the meeting, some stakeholders in the party have been haggling over how best to handle Wike and his supporters.
Speaking in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Friday, Saraki told reporters that APC trying to capitalise on the crisis in the PDP to woo Wike was a gross miscalculation and a waste of efforts.
He said, “Wike is an important member of our party and I am very confident that in no distant time, we will sit down and address all the issues. There is no doubt about it that he has cause to feel the way he does, but there are better ways by which issues like this can be resolved.
“The good thing is that we are all talking to one another. The fact that some APC governors went to see their colleague, trying to capitalise on what they think is an issue, is a gross miscalculation. At the end of the day, their visit is going nowhere.
“The APC governors know that it is this kind of a crack they need to latch on to. Fortunately, we are not going to give him (Wike) to them because the election ahead is too important. The destinies of millions of Nigerians are too important and even bigger than any party or individual. I appreciate that all our stakeholders appreciate that and Governor Wike himself appreciates that.”
Another member of the PDP National Executive Committee who pleaded anonymity said though the party was worried about the situation with Wike, no member can hold the party to ransom.
According to him, the party is bigger than every member.
In his words, “PDP has been around since 1998. We have seen all kinds of members come and go.
“With due respect to everyone, membership of this party is by choice. We would like to have people on board, but we would be better off with those who believe in the cause of the party.
“I don’t think any sacrifice is too much for individual members to make for us to return to power in 2023.
“Yes, without doubt, Rivers State is one of our biggest strongholds and we have accorded and will continue to accord the state and its people the respect they deserve.
“But no individual can hold the party to ransom. Politics is about interest and our interest as a party now is how to win the next election to rescue this country we all love so passionately from the precipice the APC has dragged us to.”
