Tinubu, Wike, Ortom, Makinde meet in Europe: Reports

From Ogundele Olanrewaju

In a move that will upset calculations in next year’s election, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has met with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and other PDP juggernauts.

The meeting, according to multiple reports, held outside the country.

Reports crediting The Cable and Western Post said Tinubu met with Wike in company of Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and his Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in France.

Sources close to Wike who confided in our correspondent said the meeting held in another country other than France.

Tinubu left Nigeria on Monday for Europe on a week’s break. He is expected in London, as well.

“Yes, we left Nigeria to meet with Tinubu on Monday. We initially thought it would hold in France because that was where Tinubu went the last time he left the country. We however got signal close to our time of departure that we should proceed somewhere else.

“Governors Ortom and Makinde who have been supporters of Wike from the beginning were also on the trip,” the source told WesternPost.

The source told us that the meeting was connected with the APC candidate getting Wike’s support for Tinubu in next year’s election.

“Yes, the discussion was centred on the 2023 election. The Tinubu camp know how important votes from Rivers State are and are looking for how to get Wike to work for them,” he also added.

While it may be hard for Wike to leave the PDP because of some of his followers who are already contesting for elections in the party, the Tinubu camp is expecting him to use his influence in the state to work for them and deliver Rivers State for the APC.

Since Wike lost the Peoples Democratic Party presidential primaries to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, he has rebuffed moves by party leaders to placate him.

He has also many times threatened many members of the PDP in the state who are loyal to Atiku, closing down some businesses owned by them.

Efforts to also reconcile with him have become hard, as the meetings between his camp and Atiku’s team ended in deadlock.