Anti-party activities: Surprise as PDP NEC silent on Wike at meeting

The much-anticipated 98th National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party held in Abuja on Thursday, with a former Senate President and ex-governor of Kwara State, Dr Bukola Saraki, appointed to lead reconciliation efforts in the party.

The PDP has been dealing with internal rancour as fallout of the events that played out before and after last year’s general elections, which the party lost to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Ahead of Thursday’s NEC meeting, ranking party sources had said the party’s National Working Committee would be submitting a list of all party members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, who were engaged in anti-party activities, resulting in the defeat of the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

It was believed that the list, said to have been prepared for submission, would feature the name of the ex-Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, who openly worked against Atiku.

Wike, leading his counterparts in Oyo State, Seyi Makinde; Benue, Samuel Ortom; Ebonyi,  Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu, under the aegis of G-5 PDP governors, had opposed Atiku and rather worked for the candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu.

For his role, Tinubu compensated Wike with appointment as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

Wike’s opposition to Atiku’s presidential ambition stemmed from the ex-vice president’s decision not to select him as his running mate. Punch