The major opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), appears to be making significant inroads in its bid to resolve the internal crisis that envelopes it ahead of the 2023 election.
The party has constituted a 14-member panel to consult and make recommendations which will form the basis for the resolution of dispute between the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers Sate.
The panel constitution is consequent upon the meeting between Atiku and Wike.
A top party source familiar with the development disclosed that the membership of the panel was yet to be made public because some of them had yet to be officially informed.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, explained that the panel is expected to take off with “immediate effect.”
The PDP has been embroiled in crisis since Atiku picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate for the 2023 election.
This led to the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting which attempted to broker truce.
“We’ve made appreciable progress within the last 24 hours following the meeting between our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike”, Vanguard quoted the source to have said.
“Their followers will definitely take a cue from this and fall in line. What is now on ground is seeking a way forward.
“The recommendations, which the 14-member committee make, will be considered and action taken. I can assure you that the campaign council will follow through afterwards.”
In response to questions from newsmen on the crisis within the party, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, expressed confidence that all outstanding issues will soon to resolved.
He said, “The PDP is a very large family and like most human families there are issues but I’m glad to inform you that we have organs, processes and procedures for resolving our issues.
“We are not like the sinking All Progressives Congress, I don’t recall a meeting by their Board of Trustees, our BoT just met and have set up a committee to mediate between our candidate and Governor Wike.”