The G5 governors popularly known as the integrity are now on a self-drive course, as Governors within the group have opted for the candidate of their choice.
The five aggrieved governors of the PDP had not met with the Integrity Group since they met in Lagos in November 2022.
Less than one week to the presidential and National Assembly elections, the G-5 governors led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State have failed to adopt a presidential candidate.
Wike, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and their counterparts from Abia, Enugu and Oyo states; Governors Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Seyi Makinde, had formed the G-5 as a platform to express their dissatisfaction over the Iyorchia Ayu’s continued stay as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The five governors had called for Ayu’s resignation, arguing that it was wrong for the PDP to have northerners as national chairman and presidential candidate, vowing that they would adopt a presidential candidate if Ayu failed to resign from his current position.
While several entreaties to the group from some top PDP members had not yielded any positive result, Wike had given a January 2023 deadline to announce the choice of his group but failed to do so.
In the southern region, the two main contenders vying for the country’s highest office are Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
But just a week to elections, the G5 Governors have evidently fractured and are now endorsing individual candidates of their choice.
Sources have disclosed that Governor Wike of Rivers State and his Oyo State counterpart, Makinde, have come to a resolution to support Bola Tinubu in the upcoming polls.
Tinubu held a meeting with Wike on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, during which the Rivers governor reportedly threw his support behind the APC candidate.
While Wike has yet to make a public declaration of his endorsement for Tinubu, he has already instructed his cabinet members, aides, and local government Chairmen in the state to rally behind the candidate.
During a Town Hall meeting held in Makurdi, the capital of Benue state, Governor Ortom endorsed Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate, and urged Benue people to cast their votes for him on February 25th.
Ortom emphasized that the upcoming election should not be centered around political party affiliations, as he believes that all political parties in Nigeria have failed to meet the needs of the people.
Despite Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi’s silence on declaring their support for a candidate, it appears that Ikpeazu has aligned with Atiku Abubakar, while Ugwuanyi may still be on the southern presidency fence.