 |
Solidarity Walk organized by the PDP for Atiku Abubakar
By Kalita Aruku
After all the initial grandstanding, the Wike faction in Cross River state have finally succumbed to the Atiku group and has ordered its supporters to vote for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
This was made possible after Sen. Liyel Imoke threatened that if Atiku looses election Sandy should as well kiss his governorship ambition goodbye. The situation had almost torn the already divided PDP in the state into shreds as they was confusion even among the Wike faction over support for the party presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
Information to our source suggest that the humble pie was eaten by the Sandy group when their benefactor Gov. Nyesom Wike had told them that because of the CBN monetary policy he will not be able to fund them for the elections as he promised. Gov. Wike complained that he is even looking for funds to fund his state election which is of more priority to him.
During the state presidential campaign the state chairman Barr. Vena Ikem in a bid to benefit from the Atiku largess had stormed a meeting of the Atiku group held at the residence of former governor Sen. Liyel Imoke insisting that as state chairman of the party he must be incharge of the activities of the campaign in the state. This action infuriated the former and he practically bundled Vena out of his house for his insolence.
Feeling frustrated Sen. Sandy Onor leader of Wike group and governorship candidate in Cross River had no option than to reachout to the Atiku group for reconcilation as that is the only way to bring his comatose governorship ambition back on track. One of the group members who pleaded anonymity confessed that the entire campaign is in jeopardy, he said: “As I speak to you we dont even have money to demobilize the people the people we mobilized for the fitness walk yesterday, the state chairman promised that we will get money before the event comes to an end, but as I speak to you no one dime has been seen, me sef am just tired”
Yesterday during their fitness work, for the first time since they started their campaign the state chairman of the PDP Barr. Vena Ikem publicly told their members to support Atiku Abubakar. In his speach Vena told all the members to vote five over five. This was a way of showing commitment to the Atiku project with the expectations that Atiku will fund the Sandy and other candidates of the group in the coming elections.
According to our source a lot of their members have started feeling frustrated and are already abandoning the party to avoid a situation where they will sink with the party in the coming elections. Just last weekend a leading aspirant of the party in Ikom/Boki Federal constituency Jojo Armani and hundreds of his supporters dumped the PDP for APC. The same is the situation in all the various local governments in the state.
How Gov. Wike will react to this development is what we don’t know yet but we promise to give you more details as things unfold.
