PDP's G5 governors reach an agreement with Tinubu under which they will back each other

ALL Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the five disaffected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors known as the G5 appear to have reached an agreement on working together during next year's elections.

In late June, the PDP elected  former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its flagbearer for next year's presidential election at its Abuja convention. Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was a candidate in that election but he was beaten into second place and to make matters worse for him, he was not then picked as the party's running mate.

With Alhaji Abubakar opting to pick Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate, Governor Wike and his supporters, made up primarily of four other governors, have  been on the war path. Governors Wike, Seyi Makinde  (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) now make up what is now known as the G5 Group of Governors and have boycotted Atiku's campaign.

One of the key demands of the G5 has been that PDP chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu stands down, as he, like Alhaji Abubakar is from northern Nigeria and for the sake of unity, it was argued that a southerner should replace him. Earlier this week, the G5 met with Asiwaju Tinubu in London and the two sides reached an agreement that would involve them supporting his presidential bid in exchange with the APC backing their individual elections.

Under the terms of the deal, Asiwaju Tinubu would be insulated from making any financial commitment to the G-5 candidates. In exchange for their support, the APC will not  stand candidates against the governors who are standing on PDP platforms.

One source close to the talks said: “Having considered the odds, I can tell you the G5 have cast their lot with Asiwaju.  An agreement is signed, sealed and waiting for delivery. As part of the deal, Asiwaju is to deflate his party’s campaign in the respective states to accommodate the interests of the G-5.

"We all know that Asiwaju is APC and APC is Asiwaju. The APC is to concede positions of G-5 interests as follows: Rivers State, governorship seat; Abia, Abia South Senate; Enugu, Governor Ugwuanyi’s senate seat; Benue, Governor Ortom’s Senate seat; Oyo State, governorship seat for Governor Makinde.”

He noted that to the uninitiated, the case of Oyo State is complex and appears untenable but that the situation on the ground points to its simplicity. He added that Asiwaju Tinubu is expected to simply withhold financial and moral support for the APC governorship candidate in order to reduce the intensity of campaign against Governor Makinde.

Basically, the APC gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, Teslim Folarin, is to be sacrificed to get Governor Makinde's support. Given that the APC is split in Oyo State anyway, this is seen as a way of the party leadership having to avoid endless meetings to reconcile both factions.