The aggrieved five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, commonly called the G5, recently held a marathon meeting with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 election.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the meeting happened in London, United Kingdom (UK), and featured discussions around Tinubu’s presidential ambition.
Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu states and some political heavyweights from the South had vowed not to support the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over the refusal of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign after Atiku obtained the presidential ticket of the party.
But hours after the governors meeting with Tinubu, the PDP said it was not aware of their parley with the ruling party’s presidential candidate, noting that as far it was concerned, the governors were in the UK on vacation.
The main opposition party, however, threatened to punish the governors for any anti-party activities, stressing that it had the capacity to discipline the recalcitrant governors.
This newspaper gathered that Tinubu and his associates were unequivocal in their demand for the disgruntled PDP chieftains to support him. Recall that the G5 and their allies have called for the removal of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, citing regional balance in the party’s structure.
However, Ayu has insisted that he won’t step down till the end of his four-year tenure, even as the G5 made his resignation a precondition to support Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential ambition.
Some of the aggrieved PDP governors are Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Okezie Ikepeazu of Abia state, and Samuel Ortom of Benue state.
Punch quotes a source as saying: “Tinubu met with the aggrieved governors yesterday (Tuesday) along with a delegation that included (Kayode) Fayemi, (Babajide) Sanwo-Olu, one other governor and an ex-governor.
“For now, we are only waiting for the G-5 governors to make the official pronouncement in January.”
However, another highly placed source who pleaded anonymity stated that Tinubu was in Nigeria.
“I have received several inquiries on this report of the governor’s supposed travel with Asiwaju (Tinubu) and I can tell you that he is still in Nigeria.”
“In fact, I spoke with him twice today (Wednesday). Even if he were to travel to meet the G-5 Governors outside the country, it is not something he would want to disclose, but he is very much in the country,”
