The Labour Party campaign council has stated that its candidate, Peter Obi, will still win the February election despite claims made by some All Progressives Congress, APC, stakeholders that the five disgruntled governors elected on the PDP platform have endorsed their presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 elections.
The G-5, which consists of the governors of Rivers State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Seyin Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, were in London last week to clinch an agreement with their favored presidential candidate.
The disgruntled governors split with PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar over his failure to convince Iyorchia Ayu to step down as party national chairman in order to make space for a Southerner.
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Peter Obi or Bola Tinubu were the only two candidates left for the presidency.
When the G-5 Governors announced their choice for the endorsement a few days ago, Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu’s supporters were terrified.
According to reports, the APC candidate and former governor of Lagos met with the PDP governors on Tuesday in London behind closed doors, but Tinubu has denied conducting such a meeting.
Sources claim that the governors had doubts about the previous governor of Anambra’s ability to win the election in February.
The governors reportedly couldn’t agree on Tinubu because of their individual goals and interests in the upcoming general elections in 2023.
Makinde, who will complete his second term as governor of Oyo State on May 29, 2023, is running for reelection on the PDP platform, although Ortom, Ugwuanyi, and Ikpeazu are all running for senate seats in their respective districts.
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Although the group’s head, Wike, is not running for any office in the upcoming elections, he prefers the PDP candidate for governor of Rivers State.
The Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital Communications, Bashir Ahmad, and a spokeswoman for the Tinubu/Shettima campaign council, Femi Fani-Kayode, made this assertion in tweets on Friday that the G-5 Governors dumped Obi for Tinubu.
“The offer put forward by the five governors was fantastically positive.
“That will definitely help us to seal our eminent victory in 2023. Let’s do it together,” Ahmad tweeted on Thursday.
Similar to this, Stephen Ocheme, a top APC official in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, told Newsmen on Saturday that the G-5 governors are only waiting for the appropriate moment to declare their alleged endorsement.
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“From the information I have gathered so far, the deal is sealed. They are only waiting for the right time to make the announcement.
“You will hear the big news the day Makinde will flag-off his campaign first week of January”, he said with full assurance.
Wike, who spoke shortly after his return from the UK trip and during the inauguration of a project in the State, refuted the assertions and asserted that they were not endorsed by anyone.
Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the head spokesperson for the Labour Party’s presidential campaign committee, voiced optimism on behalf of Obi and said he believes the former governor of Anambra will be able to succeed President Buhari in 2023 without the support of the G-5 Governors.
He said, “If they (G-5) eventually endorse Tinubu, that will not affect Peter Obi’s chances because we didn’t do the millions marches with them. We did it personally with everyone contributing and volunteering.
“We have resolved to work together as a team irrespective of the bad leadership we have had in the past years. To say the truth, it is because they are seeing the strong Obidient movement that all of them are considering whether to endorse us or not.
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“As far as we are concerned, we are strongly with the Nigerian youths. It would have been an added advantage to us if they decided to join us as we rescue Nigeria which all of us must do. But if they decide to go the other way, we will continue with our movement.
“We will continue to fight for the soul of Nigeria. It is about the frustrated youths. They decide where they want to go not any individual.
“The Nigerian youths are currently frustrated and they need someone who can bring the country back on track and they have found what they want in Peter Obi”.
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