2023: Anxiety grips Atiku’s camp as Wike, Makinde, Ortom meet Tinubu in France

More worries for Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar as Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike reportedly met with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Paris, France on Tuesday.

According to the Cable, an online news platform, Governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom; Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and other PDP stalwarts loyal to Wike were also in 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 revealed.

According to sources, Wike and his supporters are manoeuvring in the meeting to come up with decision to back the APC candidate in the 2023 presidential election.

Recall that Wike and Atiku have been at loggerheads after the former lost the bid to contest 2023 presidential election under PDP.

“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 source 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.”

All efforts made by Nigerian NewsDirect to confirm the story proved abortive as the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Wike, Kelvin Ebiri and APC presidential campaign council Spokesman, Festus Keyamo, SAN did not reply messages nor picked their calls.