Wike, Atiku Met Face-to-face For the First Time After Elections? Fact Surfaces

• The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) persists as the conflict between Atiku Abubakar and Nyesom Wike remains unresolved
• Recent social media claims suggest the conflict has abated, however, that’s not true, according to fact check by Africa Check
• Going by the fact check, the video being circulated is stale as the two rival politicians didn’t greet each other cordially at any recent public event

FCT, Abuja – A video which circulated on the social networking site, Facebook, earlier in July 2023 shows Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, and the immediate past governor of Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike, exchanging pleasantries.

The two politicians are not on good terms but could be seen in the video exchanging pleasantries and bantering.

Fact check: Atiku, Wike did not meet publicly post-2023 election

The video, posted on July 12, showed a gathering of several PDP chieftains.

The caption reads:

“Moment Wike and Atiku Met Face To Face for the first time after elections.”

The video was also sighted on Facebook here.

Wike is the leader of the G5, a group of PDP governors who were aggrieved with Atiku and the PDP leadership.

Besides Wike, other members of the group are governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

The group was birthed after the PDP presidential primary in May 2022 which Wike lost to Atiku.

The group fell out with Atiku for reneging on the alleged promise to ensure the exit of Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman of the party.

After the PDP’s loss in the 2023 presidential election, Umar Damagum replaced Ayu — albeit in an acting capacity.

A fact-checking platform, Africa Check scrutinised the claim on the alleged recent meeting between Atiku and Wike, and found it to be false.

A reverse image search of a screenshot from the video showed that it was recorded at a gathering of PDP leaders prior to the presidential primary election which was held in May 2022.

Atiku Abubakar responds to ex-gov Nyesom Wike’s poison claims at PDP secretariat

In a piece of related news, Legit.ng reported that Wike was told that his internal organs were damaged due to his excessive intake of alcohol and not poison as he had earlier claimed.

Phrank Shaibu, the media aide to Atiku Abubakar, responded to Wike and urged him to confess his atrocities in the last presidential election.

Source: Legit.ng