The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has waded into the party’s crisis in the Kogi ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial election in the state.
The former vice president stated that unity among the warring factions was needed to win the poll.
Atiku reportedly met with the gubernatorial candidate of the party, Mr. Mohammed Wada, in Dubai, United Arab Emirate where he also met with Sen. Dino Melaye, one of the contenders for the party’s ticket, on how to mend the cracks that became bigger after the party’s primaries.
A source quoted in the report said Atiku decided to wade into the crisis and ensure reconciliation, following Melaye’s rejection of the offer to lead the PDP governorship electioneering campaign in the state.
The PDP governorship candidate was said to have reached out to Atiku to wade into the matter after meeting with his brother, and former governor of the state, Idris Wada.
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It was further gathered that the inability to achieve reconciliations between the PDP governorship aspirants especially, stalled the flag-off of the main electioneering campaign.
Atiku is also expected to meet with the former governor of Kogi State, Ibrahim Idris, to reconcile him with his son, Suleiman, who is believed to be the sponsor of the PDP governorship candidate.
The source said: “The essence of Atiku meeting the former Kogi state governor is to make him ensure that his son withdraws his suit against Wada from the court and pave the way for the flag-off of the governorship campaign in the state.
“The crisis in Kogi state PDP is becoming intractable because the former governor who ruled the state between 2003 and 2011 is at war with his son, Suleiman and his mother for supporting Jubrin Isa for the governorship election.
“So, in 2019, the children of Ibrahim Idris saw it as an opportunity to pay back their father in his own coin by supporting Mohammad Wada against the person whom their father is supporting, Mohammed Ibrahim.
“The matter is so delicate as the winner of the 2019 PDP governorship is the younger brother of the former governor who ruled the state from 2011 to 2015.”
According to the source, Atiku’s main assignment is to persuade the former governor to ask his son to withdraw his court action against his brother-in-law who is married to his blood sister.
Atiku, it was learnt, will ensure that the former governor supports the PDP governorship candidate.