As the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP continues to hold meetings to resolve the disagreement between its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, a crisis within party leaders in the state has emerged as a major issue to be resolved before Atiku kicks off his presidential campaign.

In the past few days in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the private residence of Wike has become a Mecca of sorts for politicians, including South-West governors from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and those of the PDP.

But as the PDP intensifies efforts to reconcile Atiku and Wike, the governor appears to be at daggers drawn with former Governor Celestine Omehia; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sir. Austin Opara; Sen. Lee Maeba, among others for working with Atiku when discussions are still on.

The trio were said to have held a meeting with Atiku in Abuja in which they promised to deliver the state for him come 2023, a development that has not gone down well with Wike.

A delegation from Atiku met behind closed doors with Wike at his private residence in Port Harcourt in continuation of talks to end their feud.

Present at the meeting among others were the Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri; who led the Atiku team, which also had as members Hon. Adamu Waziri and former Ondo governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede.

Those on Wike’s team included former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke; Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke; former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko and former Governor of Gombe State, Dr. Ibrahim Dankwambo.

Despite the series of meetings that have so far held in Port Harcourt and Abuja, the widening gulf between Wike and other party leaders in the state is creating new wounds that could ultimately affect the outcome of the meetings between Atiku and Wike’s teams.

Business premises, mainOkey ly hotels belonging to some party chieftains and loyalists of Omehia and Opara were sealed yesterday in Port Harcourt by a team of security operatives allegedly acting on the orders of the state government, while several persons were arrested.

A sealed filling station is reportedly owned by a member of the House of Representatives, Chinyere Igwe, a known ally of Opara, while the hotel said to be owned by Ikenda Chinda, who is related to Opara.

Wike had in a state-wide broadcast, alleged that some politicians are recruiting cultists and ex-convicts to cause mayhem in the state over their 2023 political ambitions.

Igwe, while reacting to the development on Friday, said the action of security agencies on his filling station is “politically motivated”.

Wike has, however declared that any act of criminality tended to destabilise the state will not be allowed, stressing that his administration has invested hugely in achieving the prevailing peace, and nothing will be tolerated in returning the state back to the dark days of insecurity.

The governor, spoke at the flag-off of the 12th flyover at the Mgbuoba, Ozuoba -Ada George Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, which was performed by Prof. Jerry Gana.

He said: “Now, let me tell anyone who cares to listen, whether you’re in PDP, APC, you’re in SDP, you’re in Accord or any other party, if I catch you trying to breach the security in this state, you’ll go in for it.

“I will not allow anybody to destabilise this State. We have suffered insecurity and God has helped us together with security agencies to maintain peace. For me, whether it is true or not, I must make sure that I take action.”

Wike said, sadly most people do not take the warning issued in his last state broadcast seriously. According to him, he had warned that any hotel or event centre where criminals, cultists are allowed to gather to plot the breach of peace would be demolished.

“So, if you know they’re using your hotel, or they’re using your drinking joint as where they’ll be holding meetings, think twice now.

There is no amount of propaganda; if you like go to social media that they’re clamping down on you, that’s your business. I will not allow anybody to destabilise this state because we have suffered insecurity and we have spent money.

“You can’t begin to arrange for cultists to meet in your event centres, or in your hotels. Pray that I don’t have any hint about that. If I do, I will bring down your hotel. I will bring down the event centre and I will arrest those people found there and I will prosecute them. Heaven would not fall.” (New Telegraph)

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