How Bola Tinubu Reportedly Plans To Work For G-5 Governors Against APC

More details have emerged on the deal reportedly struck between the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, and the Governor Nyesom Wike-led G-5 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Naija News reports that Tinubu had on Wednesday met with Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) at his London residence alongside some chieftains of the APC.

The meeting, according to various reports, was held to conclude modalities on an alliance between the APC presidential candidate and the governors ahead of next year’s election.

Sources have now revealed details of the deal, stating that Bola Tinubu, whose election comes first, has agreed to the deal in principle.

According to Saturday Vanguard, the APC candidate’s deal with the G-5 governors, stops him from financially contributing to either the G-5 or APC candidates whose positions are to be sacrificed to accommodate them.

A source said “having considered the odds, the G5 are casting their lot with Asiwaju.

“The 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 G5. We all know that Asiwaju is APC, and APC is Asiwaju. The APC is to concede positions of G5 interests as follows: Rivers- Governorship seat; Abia- Abia South Senate; Enugu-Gov Ugwuanyi’s Senate seat; Benue- Gov Ortom’s Senate seat and Oyo- Governorship seat for Makinde.”

In Oyo State, the source said Tinubu would withhold finance to the APC gubernatorial candidate campaign team.

“The APC candidate is expected to simply withhold finance and moral support for the guber candidate in order to reduce the intensity of the campaign against Makinde. This is further simplified by the fact that as of today, there are effectively three APC factions in the state. Sen. Teslim Folarin, who is the party’s candidate controls one, remnants of the Accord Party loyal to Rasheed Ladoja, which collapsed into the APC are on their own and the legacy parties: Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressives Change and the All Nigeria Peoples Party that came together to form APC, which consider Folarin a usurper and are determined to fight him,” the source said.

The source further said, “it is not for nothing that aside from Tinubu’s open instruction to Folarin to reconcile aggrieved members sometime in June this year, neither the party nor the Presidential candidate has made any serious effort to reconcile them.”

The source stated that any funds from the national leadership of the APC will be channelled through Makinde‘s men in the party, who would know when to deploy such funds.

A Dicey Situation

However, another source disclosed that there was no clear-cut agreement on this issue, “it’s not a case of one shoe size fits all because the dynamics vary from state to state.

“Take Benue for example. The APC Governorship candidate is strong. The same cannot be said of the Senatorial candidate in Benue South where Sen. Abba Moro still enjoys the support of former Senate President, David Mark and the entire PDP structure.

“Ortom could have a fighting chance being an incumbent. You also have a former Governor, Gabriel Suswam who is seeking to return to the Senate, he is not a pushover. Besides, Ortom has not hidden his preference for Peter Obi as Presidential candidate.”