There is anxiety in camps of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour Party (LP) as the aggrieved five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also known as G5, will tomorrow, storm Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, to flag off the re-election campaign of one of their members, Seyi Makinde.
Other members of the G5 being led by Nyesom Wike of Rivers State are Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu). They have had a running battle with their party over the refusal of its National Chairman, Iyorcha Ayu, to step down after former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.
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.
Sources close to the governors said the Ibadan rally might also be used to reinforce their position regarding their grouse with the party’s presidential ticket.
“They will give direction of where they are going but may not mention the name of the presidential candidate to avoid being accused of anti-party offence and to protect their different political interests,” a source said.
It was gathered that despite Governor Ortom’s preference for LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, his colleagues are yet to agree on a particular candidate.
The Guardian learnt that the decision of the G5 to support another candidate is 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 has not been punished for tramping upon the judiciary.
It was also gathered that the camp of the Oyo APC governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, is back to the drawing board to mitigate implication of such endorsement on the fortunes of the party in the state.
Apparently reacting to the position of Governor Makinde on Atiku’s candidature, the PDP Presidential Campaign Council is organising a “freedom walk” in Ibadan today (Wednesday) to drum support for the Wazirin Adamawa.
In a statement, a former deputy governor of the state and member of the PDP PCC, Hazeem Gbolarumi, said the march would begin from Total Garden enroute Gate to Ojo to Beree and Mapo.
The statement reads: “It is not news that our party, Peoples Democratic Party, has launched her presidential campaign. Since the commencement of 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 Atiku-Okowa 2023 presidential project, the leadership of the party in Oyo State decided to hold a Freedom Walk scheduled for tomorrow (today), January 4, 2023, starting from Total Garden en route Gate to Ojo to Beree and Mapo.”
“It must be noted that planning and the execution is 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 APC led Federal Government has plunged the country. The desire liberation is a required joint efforts 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 advancement of this country. They should come out to reject of APC administration. More reasons for Nigerians to vote Atiku-Okowa will be unveiled.”