Jibrin Supports Wike, Opposes Presidential Candidate, National Chairman from Same Place

•Says PDP waiting for outcome of Atiku, Wike Reconciliation

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin, has described as unfair for the party to produce both its presidential candidate and national chairman from the same place.

Jibrin, who seemed to support the cause of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, however, offered to step down as BoT chairman, thus sacrificing the remaining six months of his tenure.

Speaking with THISDAY in an interview, yesterday, Jibrin said,  “provided if that will bring the much-needed peace into the party.”

He said the party was awaiting the outcome of the reconciliatory committee to settle the face-off between Atiku Abubakar and Wike to submit its report.

As the conscience of the party, Jibrin  said the party would speak with one voice on the rift so that the PDP would have something to campaign with in the south

He listed the organs of the party to include the national caucus, BoT, National Executive committee (NEC), where the issues would be thoroughly discussed and resolved before they would be tabled at the convention.

Jibrin stated  that the compositions in the party like presidential candidate, national chairman, BoT Chairman were from a section of the country and insisted, “it is not fair”.

Apart from describing the present compositions as unfair, the BoT chairman said as the conscience of the party, “We will address it once the report is submitted. It will be unfair for the party to have both its president and the national chairman, BoT chairman from the northern region of the country, an indication that, Iyorcha may go only after the election and Atiku eventually wins.”

Although he was not forthcoming on the party’s acceding to some of the demands by the Wike camp, like the immediate resignation of Ayu, to pave way for justice, fairness and equity, he insisted that the various organs of the party would meet and resolve the issue next week.

Jibrin exuded confidence that PDP would win the 2023 presidential election, assuring that the rift, which he regarded as mere quarrels, would be resolved by next week, when all the party organs must have met to consider the issues and come out with verdict that would make the party stronger.

“To tell the truth, it will not be fair for the president of Nigeria to be from the north, the chairman of the party from the north, and the BoT chairman from the north. By next week, we will get the report.

“And when we find out that somebody is wrong in what has happened, we will come up openly to tell the party that it is wrong. Whatever we can do, we will do it in the interest of the party to make the party remain as PDP,” he explained.