Tinubu Meets with Wike, Makinde, Other G5 Leaders

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu comprise the G5 group, which also includes former governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo state.

Aso Villa in Abuja hosted a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and members of the Integrity Group, or G5.

A working relationship between the president and the former governors was reportedly discussed at the meeting, despite the fact that specifics were still hazy at the time this report was filed.

Before going to the Villa to meet with the president, the G-5 PDP Governors first convened for a few hours at Wike’s home, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting who asked to remain anonymous because he was not permitted to speak publicly on the subject.

Read Also: Tinubu’s certificate: Elders’ Forum warns politicians to stop dragging Nigeria in the mud

The first meeting at Wike’s house revolved around finding a place for the former governors in the grand scheme of things and, of course, how they could cooperate. I am not currently in possession of the precise details of the discussions that took place, but I can tell you that they were focused on this aspect.

In order to support the party’s presidential candidate in the poll on February 25, the group—led by Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)—demanded that Iyorchia Ayu, the National Chairman at the time, step down and be replaced by a candidate from the South. This demand caused a significant rift within the PDP.

Atiku and Ayu both called the then-governors’ bluff and refused to give in to their demands in the recently concluded elections.

Apparently, Makinde and Wike helped Tinubu win the election, while Ortom supported Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate.