Siminialayi Fubara, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Rivers state and Uchenna Ikonne, PDP gubernatorial candidate in Abia, were conspicuously absent when the presidential candidate of their party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, met with PDP 2023 guber candidates on Saturday.
Both Fubara and Ikonne had the backings of Governor Nyesom Wike and Okezie Ikpeazu to clinch the gubernatorial tickets in their states.
The meeting held at a time Wike and some governors are in London to deliberate on strategies needed to survive the crisis rocking the party.
Wike has been at loggerheads with the party leadership since he lost the presidential ticket to Atiku. The crisis worsened after Atiku picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, ignoring the recommendation of those who shortlisted Wike.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was also absent at the meeting which held in Abuja on Saturday.
Confirming the meeting on his Facebook page, the former Vice President said it was to review the state of the nation and how the party could mobilize supporters and other Nigerians behind the party for the 2023 elections.
The PDP presidential candidate said: “Today, I met with the governorship candidates of the PDP at my residence in Abuja. It was an opportunity for us to x-ray the state of the nation and how as one, we can mobilise Nigerians for the task of ousting the ruling party and commencing the rebuilding of Nigeria.”
Some of those present at the gathering were governorship candidates of Kaduna, Plateau, Katsina, Lagos, Delta, Yobe, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano and Sokoto states.
(Daily Trust)
