Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has said all aggrieved parties, including his five colleagues led by Governor Nyesom Wike, would be brought on board to work for Peoples Democratic Party’s victory in 2023.
The G-5 governors comprising Wike, Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Samuel Ortom (Benue) had fallen out with the party’s leadership after the PDP presidential primary election.
Tambuwal spoke to journalists in Makurdi after meeting Governor Samuel Ortom as part of means to resolve grievances before the coming general election.
“We have had time to converse and engage on what is happening in our party. He is a leader as of right in this party when you look at his political trajectory, history and where he is today. He holds a very important position.
“I have said this before and about three months ago, that internal party wranglings are normal and what we have been having is not a war of attrition but political disagreement. We, even in our families have reasons to disagree, agree and some other times when you have such disagreement and you come back together, you bond more stronger and wax stronger.
“So, it’s work in progress and we have met several times but we are working to bring everybody together to work for this party. That is the mission of my being here in Makurdi.
“He (Ortom) is a principal person on the issues we are handling and we have had a very strong conversation with him and of course, which I will engage with the rest of our colleagues and our leaders to see how best we can come back together as one family and work towards making sure that the PDP come out stronger and win the election of 2023,” Tambuwal posited.
On his part, Governor Samuel Ortom, disclosed that the meeting was at his instance of his Sokoto counterpart.
He said it was over a number of issues including the division in the PDP and the G-5, which he belongs to.
Ortom said, “I have told him he is welcome, we are together, we are members of the PDP. But I have said that the leadership of this party have failed to take advantage of the challenges of the party and make it stronger.
“Right from when we held our convention, instead of the leadership deploying its internal dispute resolution mechanism to look at the grievances that arose as a result of the dispute that arose as a result of the primaries no matter how stupid they were. They have failed to do this.
“Rather it is arrogance, non-challant attitude; and nobody has cared to reach out to us even when we voiced out that things were not going on well. So, for me I commend him, for taking this step to visit me. And we have discussed. In my opinion, I think this matter can be resolved.
“And I believe that as a leader and DG of the campaign, he would do the needful because I am not alone. Talking to me alone will not solve the problem but reaching out to the others. I believe he will do the needful to pull the party together.”