2023: Wike, Aggrieved PDP Governors Reportedly Settle for Tinubu, Ortom Aligns With Peter Obi
- Atiku Abubakar will not be supported by five PDP governors in his quest to be the next president of Nigeria
- Four of the governors have decided to pitch their tent with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling APC
- While the remaining governor is said to be rooting for the emergence of Labour Party's Peter Obi at the polls
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FCT, Abuja - Four out of five aggrieved governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), may have finally taken a position on the presidential candidate to support ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The four PDP governors are Nyesom Wike of Rivers state; Seyi Makinde of Oyo state; Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state.
Source: Facebook
According to Daily Sun newspaper, the other aggrieved governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, may not align with the position expected to be taken by his four colleagues in the weeks to come.
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2023: Atiku drops fresh bombshell, says ‘there will be no room for cabal in my government’'
The aggrieved governors who had earlier pulled out of the PDP presidential campaign, said during the week there is no going back on their demand.
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Similarly, Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, was quoted to have said in a recent interview that the party had moved on.
The report stated that barring any last-minute change, the four aforementioned governors may throw their weight behind the candidacy of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
A source familiar with the development said the governors, having failed to resolve their differences with Atiku are weighing their options between Tinubu and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
The source said Ortom appears to be the lone governor among the five, who may pitch his tent with Obi, while the other four will likely root for Tinubu if certain conditions already tabled before the APC candidate are met.
The source who revealed further details, said Wike, Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu, are also demanding that certain positions in Tinubu’s cabinet be ceded to their cronies if he wins.
He said though they will not resign from the PDP because of their candidates and interests, they’ll, however work for the APC from within.
The politician said:
“Wike has already kick-started the move, with the appointment of thousands of aide, expected to man the various polling units during the elections in Rivers state.
“Wike and Atiku can’t reconcile. Wike needs to support a candidate and that person is likely to be Tinubu. They’ve been meeting. Wike seems to be more confident with Tinubu, so, he’s pitching his tent with the APC candidate.
“But he has given certain conditions which are not very strident for Tinubu to meet. We expect to see some sudden alliance soon, unless something happens otherwise. Ugwuanyi, Makinde and Ikpeazu are with him.
“You saw when Makinde’s deputy declared in Akure, Ondo state capital that OyosState governor will support Tinubu.”
On Ortom’s stance, the source said:
“Ortom is taking a different position for now. We don’t know if that will change. But these are the current realities. Tinubu is making serious progress, while Atiku appears to be stuck and he believes only votes from the north will save him.”
We're solely focused on our campaigns - PDP chieftain reacts
Speaking to Legit.ng in Abuja on the crisis in the party on the sidelines of a press briefing, a PDP chieftain from Kaduna state, Tijani Usman, said the party won't be distracted by 'noises' and will focus on its campaigns.
He said:
“Look, the campaigns have started fully. Our focus is solely on winning the hearts of Nigerians now. All these talks about people in our party choosing who they will work for is not necessary.
“Nigerians will decide who they want in 2023. Right now, our focus is to convince the citizens to vote for our presidential candidate. That is the ultimate goal. It is not going to be easy, but we believe we will triumph.
“The media should also concentrate on our campaigns and stop dragging us to the past. We have moved on and that should be what you are reporting.”
Reminded that disunity in the party may affect the PDP from winning the presidential election, Usman said:
“I disagree with you. Nigerians will ultimately decide who they want as their president. We all have one vote - whether you are governor, senator or minister. Yes, to some extent, political leaders have influence, but we have seen in the past that it does not always work out for them.
“Our goal is to reach the ordinary Nigerian. We want to tell them why they should vote Atiku - because he will unify the country, he will ensure we have a thriving economy, he will ensure that our naira is stronger, he will ensure that young Nigerians stay back and make the country work.
“These are the issues we are interested in. These are the issues the electorates want to hear us address and we are focused on it.”
2023: Bola Tinubu risks losing Kano over APC crisis, says Hon Ado-Doguwa
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, has raised the alarm over the crisis rocking the APC in Kano state, warning that the ruling party may lose the presidential election in the state in 2023.
Ado-Doguwa made the comment at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, November 4.
According to him, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had left the APC structure in Kano in the hands of those who were disorganising the party.
2023: APC not a party to support, they are destroyers, Atiku declares
On his part, Atiku described the APC as destroyers, adding that they don’t deserve to be supported.
The former vice president made the comment in Benin, Edo state on Saturday, October 22.
He said the APC has destroyed the educational system, economy, infrastructure and failed to address the security challenges facing the country.
Source: Legit.ng
