A meeting and campaign rally fixed for Ibadan, Oyo State by the five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also known as G-5 has put the party leadership and supporters on edge.
This was noticed yesterday by LEADERSHIP in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital where the governors will flag off the re-election campaign of one of their members, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
Other members of the G-5 being led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State are Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu). They have a running battle with their party over the refusal of its national chairman, Dr. Iyorcha Ayu, to step down after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar emerged as the party’s standard bearer.
To them, Ayu’s continued stay in office is against the power rotation principle of the party and the national chairman’s promise to resign if a northerner emerged as PDP’s flag-bearer.
It was gathered the governors said the Ibadan rally might also be used to reinforce their position on their grouse over the party’s presidential ticket.
They are expected to give direction of where they will go but may not mention the name of the presidential candidate to avoid being accused of anti-party activities and to protect their different political interests,” a source said.
It was gathered that despite Governor Ortom’s preference for Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, his colleagues are yet to agree on a particular candidate.
It was also learnt that the decision of the G-5 to support another candidate was due to renewed political rivalry between Wike and his predecessor in office and former minister of transportation, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, an APC chieftain in Rivers State.
Only on Monday, Wike criticised Amaechi for locking up the courts while governing the state and wondered why he had not been punished for tramping upon the judiciary.
It was also gathered that the camp of the Oyo APC governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, was back to the drawing board to mitigate implication of such endorsement on the fortunes of the party in the state.
Also, former deputy governor of the state and member of the PDP Presidential Council (PCC), Hazeem Gbolarumi, said the march would begin from Total Garden enroute Gate to Ojo to Beree and Mapo.
“It is not news that our party, Peoples Democratic Party, has launched its presidential campaign. Since the commencement of the campaign in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, many other states have been covered.
“Oyo State presidential campaign is scheduled to hold later in the month. However, as loyal party members, who are committed to the Atiku-Okowa 2023 presidential project, the leadership of the party in Oyo State decided to hold a Freedom Walk.
“It must be noted that planning and the execution are team efforts of Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign Committee Oyo State and numerous support groups.
“The theme of the walk is carefully chosen to reflect the current precarious economic, security and political mess that the APC-led federal government has plunged the country into. The desired liberation is a required joint effort of all lovers of Nigeria thus we should rise to flush APC out of government. This will be legitimately done on February 25, 2023, however, tomorrow outing is preamble to achieving our goal.
“The event will be peaceful; security agencies have been duly informed to maintain law and order. The attendance is not limited to PDP members but all Nigerians that believe in the advancement of this country. They should come out to reject the APC administration. More reasons for Nigerians to vote Atiku-Okowa will be unveiled,” he said.