PDP Crisis Resolved? Atiku Gives Governor Wike Crucial Appointment

• The PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, wants Governor Wike to work for his victory despite the rift between them
• Atiku, ahead of the 2023 elections, has appointed the Rivers state governor as a member of his campaign council
• With the PDP refusing to accede to Wike's demand to remove Ayu as the national chairman, it's left to be seen if the Rivers governor will accept the appointment

Despite the rift between the duo, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has appointed Governor Nyesom Wike as a member of the Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) for the 2023 elections.

The PDP has been battling an internal crisis since the emergence of Atiku as the party's presidential flag bearer.

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After losing the presidential ticket to Atiku and the vice presidential ticket to Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state, Governor Wike and his allies have been demanding the resignation of the PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

Their argument is that it is wrong for both the PDP presidential candidate and the national chairman to come from the same region; the north.

However, Atiku recently told the Wike camp that Ayu cannot be removed and replaced with a southerner unless the PDP constitution is amended.

Amid the unresolved crisis, Atiku on Thursday, September 15, announced the composition of his campaign council.

Wike appointed member of Atiku's campaign council

Despite the argument of the Wike camp against giving two major positions (presidential candidate and national chairman) to the north, Atiku and the party still went on to appoint the Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, as director general of the Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO) for the 2023 elections.

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While Tambuwal is the director general of the National Campaign Management Committee (NCMC), Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state is the chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).

Wike and all other PDP governors are appointed members of the committee. According to Daily Trust, members of the committee will be inaugurated on September 28, 2022.

Bode George aligns with Wike, demands Ayu's resignation

In a related development, Bode George, a former deputy national chairman of the PDP, has also made case for the position of the national chairman to be replaced by a southerner.

The PDP stalwart called for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Ayu at a press conference on Thursday, September 15.

George stated that the current arrangement of the party, where both the positions of the national chairman and presidential candidate are held by northerners, cannot continue to stand.

Source: Legit.ng