The camp of Governor Nyesom Wike in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially announced its withdrawal from participating in the presidential campaign of the party for the 2023 elections.

The group made its position known after a long meeting which started at about 7pm on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, and ended by past 2am the next day at the private residence of Wike in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Members of the group said none of them will participate in whatever capacity in the campaign council unless the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, resigns for a southern candidate.

Some members of the group were recently appointed as leaders and members of the campaign council for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Present at the gathering at Wike’s residence in Port Harcourt included Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; former Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, Ayo Fayose of Ekiti, Donald Duke of Cross River, Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe and Jonah Jang of Plateau, former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke.

Others at the meeting were elder statesmen, Olabode George, Jerry Gana; South-South Chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; Senator Suleiman Nazif, Nnenna Ukeje, among several others.

After the meeting, they gathered to brief journalists on the outcome, with George stating the shocker for Atiku and PDP.

The decision of the Rivers governor’s camp comes some days to September 28, the official date for candidates to kick-off campaign as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). (Text, excluding headline: Channels TV)