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Recall that Ortom had intimated that Wike’s dispute with Atiku had to do with the presidential hopeful choosing Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate despite the fact that 14 out of 17 PDP panelists had favored the Rivers governor as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.

On Thursday, July 21, Ortom revealed that Atiku had “reached out to him to further persuade governor Wike that he’s coming to meet him” in an interview with Arise TV.

He further stated that after their discussion, everything would be over. Ortom stated

“Some of us believe in a southern presidency. We thought Wike would be the right person to get the ticket but he did not get it.

“Then the issue of vice-presidency came. I was one of the people that were able to convince Wike that ‘half a loaf is better than none; you wanted to be president, but God did not make it happen; there’s nothing wrong in asking to be the vice-president.’ Unfortunately, this did not work.

“I think that the leadership of the party needed to do the needful by reaching out to him immediately to pacify him. That is what happens in every political setting, because in the end, you need everybody to be around you.

“We look forward that the leadership of the party will do the needful to bring all of us together. Our presidential candidate has reached out to me to further persuade governor Wike that he’s coming to see him, they’ll sit down and discuss. For me, once that is done, that is the end of it.

“I believe that working together with governor Wike, we can achieve a better result for our party, the PDP. And so, I believe that our presidential candidate will reach out to Wike, and once they discuss and he’s pacified, I will also be pacified.”