Atiku hopeful about the fresh agreement with Wike’s (G5) governors

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization has not given up hope that its five disgruntled governors will reconsider their choice not to join the campaign machine of the candidate, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The Group of Five (G5) governors, led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, opted out of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) because Dr Iyorchia Ayu was kept on as the party’s national chairman, but the opposition party yesterday expressed optimism about a potential agreement with the G5 governors.

The governors are Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu, Samuel Ortom, Seyi Makinke, and Nyesom Wike (for the Rivers) (Enugu).

They have urged that Ayu step down from his position to make way for a successor from the South, claiming that the North is unable to provide the presidential candidate while also holding the position of national chairman.

The Atiku/Okowa campaign’s Director of Strategic Communications, Dele Momodu, stated during a media conference in Abuja yesterday that the chances of reconciliation were excellent.

He claims that to coexist peacefully and cooperate with Atiku and the PDP leadership, the five governors have shown a readiness to make amends.

“I am sure that most of you must have heard that yesterday, our governors, the Integrity Group, indicated that the window of reconciliation has not been irrevocably closed,” added Momodu.

“We’ve been working on this for a while, trying to figure out how to unite everyone. Therefore, ideally, during the following few days and weeks, everyone will be able to operate together as a single unit. We want PDP to continue being the largest political family in Africa.

The campaign spokesperson criticized what he called constant assaults on PDP supporters at rallies, noting recent incidents in Kaduna and Maiduguri where some persons seemed to have been hurt.

The Maiduguri Police Command, however, referred to the PDP’s assertion that its convoy was attacked as false and malicious through its spokesperson Kamilu Shatambaya.

“The claim was phoney, a fraud, and an attempt by certain unguided persons to foment unrest and disrupt the peaceful coexistence of people in the state,” said Shatambaya, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

Momodu stated during the briefing that the campaign organization was preparing a formal report to be given to the security services and the National Peace Committee (NPC) for the sake of taking the necessary measures.

We were attacked in Borno state yesterday, the man claimed (Wednesday). In Kaduna, we faced an assault. It’s particularly bad considering the majority of the presidential contenders signed a peace deal.

Since democracy cannot be forced, we want to formally report to the security authorities and the Peace Commission.
It is a decision-based game.

So there shouldn’t be any issues if I decide to support my candidate.
So, I find it to be a really sad trend when people fire Danish guns, hurl rocks, and use other kinds of weapons.

Therefore, we are hoping that you may assist us in telling the authorities that the PDP is concerned.

Atiku, according to Momodu, is the front-runner in the presidential campaign, and his rivals are nervous because they believe he will win.

He added that the PDP will extend its campaign to all the states in the federation after Atiku had successful campaign rallies in four states so far.

Momodu promised that the Atiku campaign will be more active in the coming weeks and characterized rallies as carnivals of ideas rather than battlegrounds.

He urged other presidential contenders to organize their rallies if they were equally fit as Atiku.