The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr Atiku Abubakar and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesome Wike, on Wednesday attended the PDP’s national caucus meeting in Abuja ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee meeting, scheduled to take place on Thursday.

This is the first time that the former Rivers state governor will be attending a meeting of the PDP since after the presidential election last year.

Mr Wike has been at loggerheads with the PDP leadership and did not support the party’s choice of Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for last year’s election.

Apart from his opposition to Mr Atiku’s campaign in the election, the decision of Mr Wike to accept a ministerial role in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress had worsened the rift between him and key stakeholders in the part.

This caucus meeting is one of a series of meetings by members of the PD, ahead of the NEC meeting, where critical decisions regarding the leadership of the party and other issues that have threatened the party’s unity will be discussed.

Ahead of the caucus meeting, all the governors elected on the platform of the PDP were in a closed-door meeting at the Akwa Ibom governor’s lodge in Abuja.

Governor sighted at the meeting include Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State), Douye Diri (Bayelsa State), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers State), Bala Muhammed (Bauchi State), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom State), and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State among others.

The caucus comprises the governors and leaders of the national assembly elected on the platform of the PDP, some members of the Board Of Trustees and some members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).

Also on Wednesday, the embattled National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorcha Ayu, withdrew his appeal, which sought to challenge his removal as the party’s national chairman. His move is also believed to be connected with the party’s upcoming National Executive Meeting.

Ayu was suspended by the executive committee of the PDP in Igyorov ward in Gboko Local Government Area of Kogi State had in 2023 over alleged anti party activities.

They also claimed that Ayu was not paying his membership dues and did not vote in the March 18 governorship and the House of Assembly elections in Benue State.

Dissatisfied with the party’s decision, Senator Ayu approached the court to challenge his removal.

However, a Federal High Court in June last year affirmed the decision of the party to sack Senator Ayu, a judgement that led to an appeal, which he has now withdrawn.

“Let us worry about how the average Nigerian would be able to have a means of livelihood to be able to eat, that should be our worry.”

Obi said he has no interest in being the party’s leader but only to make sure things are done properly.

“I don’t see what I do in politics as being the leader of any place or not. My position is that just like I always say, I am not desperate to be president of Nigeria, I am desperate to see Nigeria work because I know it can work,” he added.

“We have a more desperate situation. Parties are just a means to be able to contest elections. What is important is that being a leader of a party does not reduce the price of food.

“What I want to see is that the average Nigerian lives in a society where things are moving properly, with access to education, access to healthcare and a means of livelihood.”

The former Anambra governor further said he has moved on from the final decision of the supreme court on last year’s presidential election, even though he does not agree with the decision of the apex court.

The state working committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano has nullified the suspension of Abdullahi Ganduje, national chairman of the party.

The APC executives in Dawakin ward under Tofa LGA of Kano had on Monday suspended Ganduje over the allegations of corruption leveled against him.

Halliru Gwanzo, legal adviser of the ward, said the suspension would subsist until the former governor is cleared of the allegations.

However, Abdullahi Abbas, chairman of the APC in Kano, alleged that the ward executives who suspended Ganduje were working with the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Abbas said the ward executives have now been suspended for six months.

“We have evidence of meetings between the state government officials and those that suspended the national chairman, and the state working committee has agreed to sanction them for six months and they stand suspended,” the chairman told journalists.

Last week, the Kano high court ruled that Ganduje should appear before it on April 17 on charges bordering on bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of public funds.

The former governor of Kano is to be arraigned alongside his wife and son.

In 2018, Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper, published a video of Ganduje allegedly receiving bundles of dollars from contractors, which he stuffed into his “babanriga”, a traditional outfit.

The newspaper said Ganduje requested $5 million as bribe from the contractors who recorded the video.

In 2023, the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) invited Ganduje for questioning over the video.

Ganduje did not honour the invitation and instead instituted a suit against the agency.

In March, a federal high court in Kano stopped the agency from inviting or questioning Ganduje over the bribery allegations.

The court held that the agency lacks power to probe the former governor over the allegation.