G-5 Governors’ Self-inflicted Confusion

After threatening fire and brimstone and promising to unveil their preferred presidential candidate, the G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have not demonstrated the courage to publicly and collectively rally support for one candidate, and have left Nigerians with speculations, Ejiofor Alike reports

The events of the past two weeks have shown that the five governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State are confused on how to handle their disagreement with the presidential candidate of their party, Atiku Abubakar.

Wike and four others – Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) withdrew their support for Atiku following the alleged failure of the former vice president to prevail on the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, to relinquish his position to a southerner. Their grouse was the emergence of both the party’s presidential candidate of the party, Atiku, and the national chairman, Ayu, from the same zone – the North.

However, political analysts have argued that Wike and the other members of the so-called Integrity Group had the opportunity of putting pressure on the party to zone the presidential ticket to the South. But Wike, in particular, who believed that he would floor Atiku and others in the presidential primary, chose to pursue his selfish interest by ensuring that the party’s zoning committee, chaired by Ortom, threw the ticket open to all the zones.

It was when Wike lost the presidential ticket and the vice presidential ticket that he mobilised the other four governors to suddenly remember that the 17 southern governors had unanimously resolved that power should rotate to the South in 2023.

Instead of sacrificing their 2023 political ambitions by resigning their membership of the PDP to pursue “justice, equity and fair play,” as they claimed, they have remained in the party to confuse themselves and their followers. Though Wike won’t be on the ballot in this year’s general election, which is the main reason he has become inconsolable, the other four governors will seek elective offices.

While Governor Makinde is seeking a reelection on the platform of the PDP, Ortom, Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu are contesting senatorial seats on the same platform.

The major challenge facing them is how to convince voters to reject the PDP only in the presidential election without ending up confusing the electorate to also reject the party in the governorship, National Assembly and State Assemblies’ elections.

Technological innovations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have since returned power to the people. So, gone are the days when governors mobilised state apparatus to truncate the will of the people and deliver fraudulent bogus election results for their parties. Having rejected Atiku, the G-5 governors held several talks with the candidates of other parties both within and outside the country.

The governors had in November 2022, in Abia State, revealed that they would support a southern presidential candidate, a decision they said was in line with the agreement reached by the southern governors that Nigeria’s presidency should come to the south in 2023.

Four weeks ago, Wike had promised to adopt a presidential candidate for his supporters to vote for.

A few days before Christmas, the Rivers State governor, while inaugurating a flyover in Port Harcourt, vowed to unveil his preferred presidential candidate in January.

“So, all of you who have been in suspense, who have been saying all kinds of things, abusing me; wait, January is here,” Wike said.

Later, the governors reportedly held a meeting with Tinubu in London where they struck a deal.

Under the deal, Wike and Makinde were said to have agreed to openly declare support for Tinubu, while Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu agreed to secretly work for the APC candidate’s victory for fear of backlash from the South-east.

Ortom, however, was said to have opted to work for  Obi.

While Nigerians were awaiting official pronouncement by the loquacious G-5, their supporters were shocked when they claimed that no such deal was reached.

The Rivers State governor was the first to deny the deal.

Wike, while flagging-off the construction of Eneka-Igbo Etche road, said media outfits speculated and insinuated so many unfounded things without any pictorial or audio proof to affirm their claims that the G-5 met with a presidential candidate in Europe.

The Rivers governor said: “I am not someone who will go and see somebody and hide. Hide for who? Who is that person that will threaten me? They said Wike had a deal with so, so, and so person. Meanwhile, no video, no anything! And some of you waste time listening to such things. Don’t you know when I want to do something, I do it? You don’t need to speculate.

“They said we had a meeting with so and so. What is your problem? Assuming there was a meeting, has Atiku not been holding meetings with governors of APC? Ask him. As he is in Dubai, don’t we know what is going on? So, why do you bother about us G-5, that you said you can win without us? Leave us alone.”

Wike, who also mocked Atiku over the endorsement of Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, later denied mocking the former vice president.

In a rather conciliatory tone, Wike said: “I meant no bad. I’m only worried as a prominent PDP member. A man who loves PDP should be worried. That’s all my concern. I was not mocking anybody.

“I was merely worried because my prayer was ‘Let Obasanjo remains quiet and not say anything.’ That was my prayer but my prayer didn’t work.”

Wike’s conciliatory posture may have been necessitated by an alleged threat by the leadership of the party not to recognise any list of party’s agents submitted by the five governors for the general election.

Tinubu, whose supporters had earlier acknowledged that the meeting took place, apparently saved the G-5 governors from the backlash of having any such deal by denying meeting with them in London.

While Wike has publicly denied reaching any deal with the APC presidential candidate, Ugwuanyi, Makinde and Ikpeazu have remained silent.

On his part, Ortom later commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo for endorsing Obi and recommended the former Anambra State governor to Nigerians, but still acknowledged that as a member of the PDP, he would not campaign for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.

So after threatening to unveil their preferred choice of presidential candidate, the self-acclaimed Integrity Group has failed to muster courage to make their collective choice public, leaving Nigerians to speculate.

Could they have chickened out following the alleged threat by the party to reject their nominations for the party’s polling agents in the general election?

Whatever may be the case, analysts believe this self-inflicted confusion may cost the governors their political ambitions in the upcoming elections if they are not careful.