From Ndubuisi Orji,Abuja

Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, appears to be in a fix as Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike’s camp protest is continuing unabated.

Atiku’s headache is centred on how to rally his party men together to prosecute a successful presidential campaign for the 2023 general election with the current situation the party found itself.

The PDP has been in crisis since the emergence of the Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa as Atiku’s running mate, with the Governor Wike and his supporters prosecuting a cold war with the party and the former vice president.

The Wike group, which consists of Governors Okezie Ikpeazu, Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Seyi Makinde of Abia, Benue, Enugu and Oyo states, as well as some former governors, former ministers and some serving and former members of the National Assembly, has been consistent in its demand for the replacement of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu as a condition for peace.

The crisis, which has polarized the various organs of the PDP, including the National Working Committee (NWC), Governors Forum, Board of Trustees (BoT), has also stalled the composition of the party’s presidential campaign council. However, with the September 28 date for the commencement for campaign for the 2023 polls fast approaching, the PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba told journalists, last Thursday, in Abuja, that the party was proceeding with its programmes for the next general elections.

Ologunagba had expressed optimism that whatever differences that exist among party members would be resolved very soon as all PDP are in agreement that the opposition party needs to win the 2023 polls, in the interest of the country.

The PDP NEC is scheduled to meet this week to find a way out of the party crisis, as well as kick-start its campaign for the 2023 polls with the approval of the presidential campaign council.

However, hopes for a quick resolution of the party crisis dimmed, last week, after Ayu, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Hausa Service, described those asking for his resignation as children, who were not part of the formation of the PDP.

According to him, “When we started the PDP journey, we did not see these children. They are children who do not know why we established this party. We will not allow one person to come and destroy our party.”

Wike responding to Ayu said that since the PDP chairman wants the party to loss the 2023 general elections, they would help him to actualize his aspiration.

“As a chairman of a party who wants to win elections, your business is to bring peace to your party; your business is not to divide your party. Your business is not to show arrogance to your party….Now, we have seen that you don’t want the party to win the election. We will help you,” the Rivers governor declared.

Since that war of words between the two party leaders escalated, tension has heightened in the opposition party.

Sunday Sun gathered that though PDP  leaders are in agreement that the lingering crisis portends grave danger for the 2023 presidential campaign, there is no consensus on how best to resolve the issue.

A member of the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC), who does not want his name on print, told Sunday Sun in an interview that the party leadership is responsible for the crisis rocking the party.

The NEC member noted that apart from the failure of the NWC to take proactive steps to unite the party immediately after the presidential primary, the recent outburst by Ayu referring to some governors opposed to him as children was in bad taste.

Nevertheless, the party leader stated that he is opposed to calls for Ayu’s removal.

According to him, the PDP chairman can remain in office until after the 2023 general elections..

“To be candid, the party leadership did not do well. Shortly after the primary, the party is supposed to have invited all the presidential aspirants to discuss how to strengthen the party. The party did not do that.

“Ayu could have kept quiet. He shouldn’t have made those utterances that are associated