PDP moves to reconcile governors, party members ahead of 2023

- Former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan is set to lead a peace mission within the PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections

- The PDP wants to ensure that the party is not distracted by internal wranglings ahead of the 2023 polls

- Jonathan is regarded as the most respected PDP chieftain at the moment hence his choice to reconcile warring factions

A report by The Nation indicates that as part of its preparation ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched an initiative to reconcile its warring governors.

According to the report, also to be resolved are the disagreements among aggrieved chieftains across the country.

Top on the list of such feuds is that between governors of Rivers and Bayelsa, Nyesom Wike and Seriake Dickson.

Both governors had openly launched verbal attacks on each other via the media towards the end of 2019.

There are, however, plans to keep the fresh reconciliation plans secret as the PDP is said to be wary of fifth columnists within and outside the party.

As part of the ongoing moves to return the party to the path of peace, the PDP national chairman and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state have reportedly met severally with the two sides in the crisis with a view to ending the face-off and uniting the two governors in the interest of the party.

Another person who is said to be involved in settling the Wike/Dickson feud is the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman of the party, Senator Walid Jibrin.

“All those involved are passionate PDP members and as such, they are abiding by the advice of our leaders currently working hard to end the face-off. You can see that nothing is being heard in the papers about the disagreement,” another source said.

Also, some prominent leaders of the party, under the leadership of a former Senate President, recently met and resolved to approach former President Goodluck Jonathan to come forward and lead the PDP reconciliatory efforts.

A source said: “Jonathan is one of the most respected and loved chieftains of the party alive today. So, the decision is to appeal to him to come and lead us to unity.

“We need him on the frontline as 2023 approaches. We will go to him and offer him leadership.”

There is also a face-off between Senator Jibrin, the BoT chairman and the camp of former Vice President and presidential candidate of the party in the 2019 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Jibrin had, some weeks back, alleged threats to his life over his refusal to endorse an automatic ticket for Atiku in the 2023 general election.

He said some unidentified persons visited PDP secretariat in Abuja, warning him that Atiku should be endorsed for the 2023 Presidential polls or he (Jibrin) should be ready to face the consequences.

He also said he has received phone calls threatening him that the presidency should be zoned to the northeast in 2023.

There are also indications that former Senate President Bukola Saraki was instrumental to the intervention of prominent PDP chieftains in the matter.

A prominent traditional ruler from the northern part of the country, who was once a PDP member, was also said to have intervened in the matter and sued for peace.

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The PDP had earlier waded into the disagreement between Governors Wike and Dickson.

“The PDP recognizes that the tone of disagreements between the two respected governors were skin-deep and only borne out of their love and zeal for their respective states.

“The PDP leadership hereby urges both Governors Wike and Dickson, as eminent leaders and frontline stakeholders in our party, to sheathe their swords while the leadership harmoniously resolves the issue,” a statement by Kola Ologbodiyan, PDP spokesman noted.

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