Senator Simon Davon Mwadkwon of Plateau State has emerged as the Minority Leader of the Senate, marking yet another defeat for the Atiku faction of the PDP which tried unsuccessfully to claim the position for ex-governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal.
Ahead of the announcements today, the PDP leadership loyal to Atiku had met at the party’s secretariat on Monday to declare its support for Aminu Tambuwal, having received the blessing of the party’s presidential candidate in the last election.
But former Nyesom Wike, the former Rivers Governor who remains an influential figure in the party, took an opposite position in continuation of his feud with Atiku over the latter’s refusal to honour the internal power-sharing arrangement of the party and his alleged manipulation of the party’s primaries to obtain the presidential ticket for the February contest.
Tambuwal is widely viewed as complicit in Atiku’s alleged manipulation of the presidential primaries of the party, particularly with his last-minute backing of the former Vice President the night of the contest which some say changed the balance of play and gave the impression to delegates that an anointed candidate had been selected.
Unwilling to allow his rivals to assume party leadership positions in a powerful institution like the National Assembly, Wike strongly opposed Tambuwal’s aspiration and insisted on a Senator from the North Central region of the country.
Although Wike’s previously known candidate failed to clinch the position, reports are rife that the eventual winner, Senator Simon Mwadkwon is strongly tied to Jonah Jang, a former Plateau Governor who is one of the strongest backers of Wike.
The development indicates Wike’s enduring influence within the PDP, much to Atiku’s chagrin. The former Rivers governor was instrumental to Atiku’s defeat at the polls with his G-5 alliance comprising five governors of the PDP who actively and publicly worked against the presidential ambition of the former Vice President.
There are insinuations that Atiku may have finally grown weary of the political battle with Wike and is considering abandoning the affairs of the party to the Rivers talisman who has proven a nut too hard to crack in every duel they have had since their dramatic fall-out last year.