There are indications that G-5 Governors – Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue) Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) will converge on Ibadan, the Oyo State capital for the flag-off of Makinde’s second term campaign.
A source at the Wadata Plaza, the national secretariat of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) told newsmen that all the five governors have pledged their availability for the flag-off which will come on Thursday at the Oyo State capital.
It would be recalled that the G-5 governors have been at loggerhead with the presidential candidate of the party, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over the choice of the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, demanding his resignation.
The crisis started when Atiku emerged the party’s presidential candidate after the primary election. The aggrieved G-5 governors insisted that the National Chairman, who also hailed from the North like Atiku, should step down in order to balance the party leadership across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The source at the Wadata Plaza told The Punch that:
“You know they are more than colleagues now. Whatever affects one affects the others. They are in solidarity with whoever among them is celebrating or marking any special event. As usual, Wike, the leader of the group will be there alongside the others.
“Even though they are members of the PDP, they are going about their campaigns as if they have a different party. They are in a world of their own, riding on the influence of their executive powers to call the bluff of the party.”