Wike meets Tinubu in France, horse-trading to work against Atiku— Sources

  Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, is reportedly meeting with Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Paris, France.  TheCable reports that Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue; Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and other PDP stalwarts loyal to Wike are also attending the meeting. Wike and his team were said to have travelled out of Nigeria early Monday morning.  “This explains why both Governor Nyesom Wike, who is a leading member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu were both absent at the opening of the ongoing NBA conference in Lagos,” the sources said.  According to sources, Wike and his supporters are horse-trading in the meeting to make a decision whether to back the APC candidate in the 2023 presidential election. They are also reportedly scheduled to meet with Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party.  “This meeting is a confirmation that the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, even before the 2022 presidential primaries of the PDP, has been working underground for the APC candidate, Bola Tinubu,” the sources said.   “This move is a clear indication that the Governor Wike-led group has been deceiving the leadership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in fruitless reconciliation meetings, but has already decided to play the ‘spoiler game’ by destroying the party from within, frustrate the chances of the PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar or when the push comes to shove, move en mass to the APC or Labour Party when the PDP least expected.  “It is important to note here that, part of Governor Wike’s plan ahead of the 2023 general elections, is to use the former governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko and other surrogates in Katsina, Kebbi, Cross River, Kano and other states to destabilise the campaigns of the PDP, especially the chances of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.” THE CRISIS   The opposition party has been embroiled in crisis since the conclusion of its presidential primary election in May. Wike had contested the presidential ticket, but he lost to the former vice-president. The cracks widened after Atiku Abubakar named Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election. Following the announcement, some party stakeholders expressed concerns that Atiku overlooked Wike — who was said to have been recommended by a panel set up at Atiku’s instance. The division in the party worsened after Atiku granted an interview to Arise TV, during which he gave his rationale for overlooking Wike. Days after the interview, Wike fired back, accusing the party’s presidential candidate of telling “many lies”. Atiku has been making efforts to reconcile with Wike but there has been little progress thus far. Last week, a three-member delegation he constituted met with Wike’s team in Rivers. The Rivers governor is reportedly demanding the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, PDP national chairman, as a precondition for peace talks.