On Saturday, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel met with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt.
Emmanuel and Wike, who both campaigned in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Primaries in May and were beaten by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, have not met since, according to reports.
While Emmanuel is a campaign leader for the PDP Presidential Candidate, Wike and his associates have distanced themselves from Atiku’s campaign.
However, on Saturday, Emmanuel paid a visit to Wike with Governor Samuel Ortom, a G-5 member, and the three met behind closed doors.
Following the meeting, Wike stated that his relationship with Emmanuel had not soured despite their political differences.
He emphasized that politics should never be allowed to cause unnecessary friction between brothers.
The governor of Rivers State, who described the meeting as convivial, stated that it was completely devoid of politics.
“Politics is not what will divide brothers and divide friends. Everybody knows my relationship with Udom, and we will continue to maintain that relationship. We may different political affiliation or thinking, that should not divide the brotherly love or create a gap among us.”
Udom, for his part, stated that his visit was not political, but rather a display of brotherly love in the spirit of the holiday season.
“Actually, this is the season of love. Within this period if we don’t demonstrate that love, love not shown is love wasted. I think that is what we are trying to demonstrate, brotherly love, friendship. And then in the spirit of the season, we must visit one another.”
Ortom explained that part of their discussion also focused on how they can best contribute to Nigerian governance.