The new G5 government negotiations with Atiku’s camp focus on Ortom and Ikpeazu.
As recent efforts by the campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential nominee, Atiku Abubakar, to reach out to resentful parties may have begun bearing fruit, the assumed unity among the G5 governors of the party may soon be put to the test.
Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State and the PDP vice presidential candidate, has been tasked with spearheading the new reconciliation efforts.
The G-5 governors are Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
Since Atiku became the PDP’s front-runner for president, the quintet has been at odds with the party’s leadership.
The other four governors, who were not running for president, have nevertheless supported Wike’s campaign to have Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, to stand down in order to make space for a Southern replacement.
Atiku has made multiple attempts to make amends with the G-5 governors, but none of them have been successful since it seems that Wike, the group’s head, is not ready to accept peace until his demands are met.
It was believed that two of the G-5 governors, namely Ikpeazu and Ortom, may be softening their positions with only two months till the elections.
Although the pair hasn’t publicly stated that they back Atiku, Saturday Sun reported that pressure was already building from their friends and political allies to back down.
In Abia State, Enyinnaya Appolos, Ikpeazu’s media assistant, has already sponsored campaign posters with images of Atiku, Ikpeazu, the governorship candidate, and National Assembly candidates. The poster’s caption reads “5Over5”.
Ikpeazu hasn’t yet attended an Atiku campaign event, but it’s been heard that the PDP’s foot soldiers in Abia State have been told to support the party’s presidential candidate to prevent dissension inside the state chapter of the ruling party.
Ikpeazu’s conduct, according to a PDP insider, may have been motivated by the fact that he is running for senator next year and is cautious not to be left out in the cold. The source claimed that the governors were wary of appearing to have abandoned Wike, who happens to be the only G-5 governor who won’t be running in the national elections in 2018.
Makinde is seeking re-election, while senatorial contenders Ikpeazu, Ortom, and Ugwuanyi are seeking seats.
On the other side, Okowa has met with Ortom on numerous occasions as part of efforts to win his support.
READ ALSO : Makinde: “G5 govs, PDP veterans create new group.”
Like Ikpeazu, Ortom has not publicly endorsed Atiku, but the PDP source claimed that the governor of Benue may soon order party members in the state to back the presidential candidate.
The PDP member disclosed that before the end of the year, Ugwuanyi, who has no personal beef with Atiku and hasn’t publicly criticized the PDP nominee, will meet with members of Atiku’s camp. Reconciliation between Atiku and Ugwuanyi, according to what has been learned, is crucial to boosting Atiku’s support in the South East.
Atiku has a strong showing in the South East in 2019, but unlike the All Progressives Congress (APC), he currently has no governor from the region openly backing him.
According to the source, Atiku claimed to have met Wike five or more times throughout the previous week. Given that the Wike camp feels that all previous attempts at reconciliation have been thwarted by Wike, this could indicate that the party has given up pleading with him.
However, supporters of Atiku are focusing on the fact that other governors are running for office and, unfortunately for Wike, they need the party just as much as the party needs them. They would lose if they organize a campaign against Atiku in their states.
“For this reason, Okowa, the PDP vice presidential candidate, is now in charge of the fresh reconciliation efforts. Their goal is to win over the other four governors. I can guarantee you that they are already having success.
“As you may have observed, Ortom and Ikpeazu are no longer as critical of Atiku. The same is true with Makinde. Never before has Ugwuanyi criticized Atiku. I can promise you right now that the situation will soon be gone. As for Wike, we anticipate that he will eventually switch sides.
Wike must demonstrate that he is prepared for the reconciliation because the party has not entirely ruled out additional action.
The dispute is also thought to have contributed to the postponement of an expected traditional title for Atiku from the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Olalekan Balogun.
The PDP presidential candidate was told of the preparations to confer the traditional title of Aare Akogun of Ibadanland on him in a letter from the traditional ruler to Atiku dated December 7.
The event, however, has been postponed, according to a fresh statement released on December 12. According to a palace source, the Olubadan Advisory Council’s decision to postpone Atiku’s honorary title conferral.
Another source claimed that the state administration may have been involved in the hasty suspension due to the ongoing dispute between Makinde and Atiku and the G-5 governors.
According to Ebenezer Babatope, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), the party’s elders will convene soon to discuss a long-term solution to the situation.
He added that the crisis would soon be resolved by the elders who are members of the BoT. He claimed that the problems endangering the party’s peace were typical in a political party setting.
Charles Aniagwu, a spokesperson for the PDP Presidential campaign Council, responded to a request for comment by saying, “All I know is that consistently the party leaders have continued to approach members of the G-5. It is an ongoing process because we feel that we must work as a single unit. We’ll chat some more. We’ll be able to come to some sort of understanding one day.
(SUN)
