By Dansu Peter
Atiku’s return immediately raised apprehension among some PDP chieftains following indications that he was taking over the structures of the party with his support for the party’s leading national chairmanship candidate, Prince Uche Secondus Fresh report by Vanguard Newspaper posits
With support for Secondus, the former Vice President will have to contend with the Former President, Goodluck Jonathan who is strongly opposed to Secondus' ambition to become the PDP national chairman, News Proof gathered
Recalls Jonathan is reportedly at dagger down with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who is said to be backer and financier of Prince Uche Secondus. A former head of State, Ibrahim Babangida is also said to be opposed to Secondus' choice.
Atiku it was gathered according to Vanguard Newspaper have started plotting his return to the PDP as far back as 2016 when Prince Secondus was acting national chairman of the opposition party.
The imminent dominance of the Secondus campaign and perceptions that it would also be a boost for Atiku’s presidential aspirations has left some PDP veterans in bad taste while others have resigned to fate.
“His people are everywhere promoting Secondus and also laying down structures for Atiku,” a Wadata Plaza source said.
“Atiku is a pragmatic politician who likes to sow anywhere he can reap. Yes it is true that he is supportive of Adeniran, but his people are everywhere in support of Secondus and using him to get a grip on the party leaving people like Makarfi helpless,” a source said.
It was further gathered that with many of the governors struggling with finances to run their states that the emergence of someone like Atiku with money to run the party came like a lifesaver.
A source familiar with the development disclosed that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who has carried a significant proportion of the party’s obligations, was one of the first people Atiku was able to win over into the project.
Governor Wike is also known to be a primary promoter of the Secondus project through whom many of the governors bought into the project. Atiku, it was learned, has also successfully penetrated the National Assembly caucus of the party through the facilitation of his former aide and former deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha.
The former vice-president met with the National Assembly members about two weeks ago during which he reportedly told them of his plan to return to the party.
A move by the old hands in the party to resist Atiku and the Secondus project was on Friday manifested when party grandees from the North led by a presidential aspirant, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau addressed a press conference where they called for the micro-zoning of the office of national chairman to the South- West.
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