Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, said on Friday that the meetings his team had with Olusegun Obasanjo and several presidential contenders were not personal, as was commonly assumed, but rather in the benefit of the country.
The governor was accompanied by the governors of Benue and Abia states, Samuel Ortom and Okezie Ikpeazu, as he interacted with journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport on Friday upon his return from the United Kingdom.
According to The PUNCH, Wike met with both Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, on Thursday.
The governor has been upset ever since Atiku selected Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate and since he lost the PDP presidential primaries.
"I can affirm that this is the first time as a team that we are meeting with presidential contenders," Wike stated. We met with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC's presidential candidate, and with Olusegun Obasanjo, our leader and the late president of Nigeria.
"We spoke with the Labour Party's presidential candidate (Peter Obi). Atiku Abubakar, who is running for president, was also present during the meeting. For what it's worth, consultation is still happening.
"Everything we discuss is in Nigeria's and Nigerians' best interests. It is not exclusive or confined to a single individual or group of individuals. We think that given the current situation, Nigerians will ultimately benefit. The consultation process is still open.
He asserted that in positions of leadership, the group's interest should take precedence above individuals' individual interests. He highlighted as awful circumstances when a governor who served for eight years would desire his son to follow him.
"When we talk about poverty worldwide, you can only see that in this area of the world. These are individuals who don't have Nigeria's best interests at heart, he said.
He argued that competence ought to take precedence over feelings of an ethnic or religious kind.
The only identities they have in this nation, he said, are based solely on their religion and race. Either I'm a Christian or I'm a Muslim. Either I'm an Igbo or I'm a Fulani. Nigeria cannot advance until people believe it will be them. We are in that location now.
"We live in a nation where a person with only an elementary school diploma can be named Minister of Foreign Affairs. You can see how terrible our nation has gotten from there. But all of them will be history after our advice. No amount of threats or extortion will succeed in stopping us. We are committed to putting things right.
The team's head, Ortom, indicated that they had just met with well-known individuals because they believed that Nigeria was in trouble and needed a coordinated rescue operation.
"For us, the big picture is what matters. Today's Nigeria is in trouble. It is about what we are capable of. In order to guarantee that we overcome the current issue we are facing, we are investigating how we can pool our resources and come together.
"From top to bottom, think about what happened in 2015 and where we are now. This goes beyond political politics. We are trying to figure out how to work together to keep Nigeria alive. Nigeria is dependent on oxygen and drip, and the question is how to escape this.
He stated that while conversations were still underway, nothing definitive had been agreed.
"The dialogue is ongoing and will remain so," he continued. We will still gather here. We still plan to meet with a few folks at a later date to discuss how we can ensure that the Nigeria initiative is successful.
Ikpeazu emphasized their objective and their will to find a method to save Nigeria.
He said, "We must defend this country because it has a lot of promise. We believe that we must participate everywhere. We are considering meeting with civil society organizations, those who have ideas, and Nigerians abroad.
In the meanwhile, Olaka Wogu, a Wike ally and former senator, told one of our reporters in a conversation on Thursday night that the meetings between Wike and Atiku's camps in London were a continuation of those held in Port Harcourt.
"Atiku reacted to some of the topics mentioned at the prior meeting," he said. It was decided that before meeting again, all sides would take some time to reflect on what had been said. It was acknowledged that time was of the importance for Atiku to launch his presidential campaign.
"Wike did not make any demands, but there were items on the table. Wike wants the party to be on solid ground but is not willing to make demands.
In response to rumors that Wike insisted Atiku serve one term, Wogu stated, "Nobody discussed term or tenure for Atiku. There are some rumors out there that haven't been debated yet. However, Atiku already has to deal with the core ones. They are issues that Atiku and Wike will resolve. Atiku and Wike are now in charge of the reconciliation effort.
He continued by saying that the suggestions made by the committee headed by Ahmadu Fintiri served as the foundation for their present discourse.
When asked how long it would take for everyone to cooperate and work as a unit, he responded, "The most essential thing is that there is a direction all sides are going to strive towards. The hardest aspect of it, in my opinion, has already been resolved. The sessions are planned according to the participants' schedules.
Although the dispute had dragged for far too long, a PDP leader and former minister of state for transportation, Musa Azi, claimed there was still hope for a resolution.
He said, "All we need for the situation to be handled is for the two sides to demonstrate understanding," in a conversation with one of our journalists on Friday. They ought to be aware that politics is a game of give and take.
When asked about the call by Wike's friends for Iyorchia Ayu to step down as national chairman, Azi responded, "All I can tell you is that we in PDP respect Wike for everything he has done for the party. But the party can only have one candidate. In any event, we will work to make accommodations for him and find a solution to every problem. The problems will be fixed, and this won't have any impact on the party's chances in the general elections in 2023.