No fewer than four governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are said to be working against their party to ensure the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu wins the 2023 presidential election.
FirstNews gathered from a source in the party that four southern governors – two from the South-east, one from the South-west, and one from the South-south, are working for Tinubu’s candidacy.
The source, who pleaded not to be named, said everything is now about personal interest, adding that while one of the governors is seeking re-election, others are seeking soft-landing.
According to the source, “It’s now about personal interest. Four governors are working for Asiwaju.”
It would be recalled that prior to the May 28 national convention, the leadership of the PDP jettisoned the rotation of the presidency by throwing the contest open, despite the fact that the main opposition party stipulated in its constitution that the presidency would be rotated between the North and South.
This paved the way for the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections.
Ever since the emergence of Atiku, the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who came second behind Atiku at the convention, had been having a running battle with the leadership of the party.
Wike, who was bitter, blamed his loss on religion, betrayal by the party leadership, especially, the national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, and the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, whose sudden decision to stand down for Atiku, he claimed, allegedly tilted the presidential primary result against him.
The River State governor has since been fraternising with Tinubu which also led to the recent London meeting.
Wike, Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) – had met in London with Tinubu, supposedly to consider the possibility of working together.