The 5 aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have rolled out conditions before they would support the presidential flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.
The G-5 have asked the APC chieftain to support PDP guber and senatorial candidates in their respective States.
The 5 governors made this revelation in a meeting which took place in London, United Kingdom.
The meeting had in attendance Governos Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
A source has revealed to newsmen that the governors wanted to receive assurances of their political careers and relevance from Tinubu.
A source close to Tinubu revealed that the presidential candidate has not agreed to the condition due to the complexity of the demands of the governors.
The source added that that the APC chieftain would need to reach out to his advisers and loyalists before he would be able to make a stand on the issue.
According to the APC chieftain, “The G-5 governors do not hold the four aces. As it stands, they are actually seeking shelter. The major hitch we have is that all the members of the G-5 demanded for the governorship and senatorial seats in exchange for the big prize.
“Now, the question is, how are going to throw our people in Rivers, Plateau and Benue under the bus? I am worried about Benue, where we have low-hanging fruits. Of course, it is obvious we are set to win Benue with Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, who we are sure will sweep the governorship poll.
“There is also the APC governorship candidate (Teslim) Folarin who is prominent in Oyo. These are complex situations we are still grappling with and I can tell you that is where we are. The PDP governors are astute people who are very good in politics.”
He added, “Whether Makinde likes it or not, Oyo will fall. Abia has never been our ground. We also lost in Enugu and Benue in 2019 where we failed to get 25 per cent. Yet, we still won the presidency.
“I can tell you without Ortom, we have a very good chance of winning Benue in 2023 with Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia. But we know Rivers State is where we are very vulnerable and may need Wike to push up. These are the five states that we lost yet won the presidential election in 2019.
“The truth, however, remains that Asiwaju knows that these five states are not the tipping points to win. It is just to make his victory double sure that we have to pitch tent with them. But as I told you, they are not in a position to stamp their feet, draw the line and impose conditions on Asiwaju. Their support is inevitable because these governors really have nowhere else to go.”
“It is an ongoing conversation. The point is that Asiwaju must carry the people (candidates) within those states along with our internal structures. Asiwaju must consider these factors before opting for a pyrrhic victory. He will talk to other leaders of our party.”
