A former Governor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is also a member of the G-5, who opposed the candidature of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as party’s candidate in 2023 presidential election, has said that the group has not taken any decision on the 2027 presidency. This is even as former Ati- ku’s spokesperson, Segun Sowunmi, has advised the PDP to reserve its 2027 presidential candidate to Mr. Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last election. Obi was the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019. He was also an aspirant to the party’s presidential ticket in 2023, but left in September 2022 to the Labour Party when it became obvious to him that he had been schemed out of the presidential race by the party. Sowunmi and the ex-PDP governor spoke to Sunday Telegraph in separate interviews over the weekend.
The former governor, who would not like to be named, however, did not regret working against Atiku in last year’s presidential election. “Nobody wants to build only for Atiku to reap, and he cannot build either,” he said. He told Sunday Telegraph that his counterpart, Dr. Samuel Ortom, did not consult any member of the group before claiming that the G5 would work for the President Bola Tinubu’s re- election in 2027. Ortom, immediate past governor of Benue State, had said in Port Harcourt last month, that the G5 would work for Tinubu’s re-election. He had stated then: “Our leader, Nyesom Wike, has already made a declaration that in 2027, we are supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “We have nowhere to go because that is what Nigerians believe. Even the past administration that took Nigeria from top to bottom, we allowed them to work for eight years. So, why can’t a seasoned administrator in the person of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu rule us for eight years.”
The G5 members were divided in the support of presidential candidates in 2023. While Wike supported Tinubu, Ortom openly declared support for Obi, the LP candidate. The other group members, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo), worked underground for their preferred candidates. Only Wike and Makinde were able to be accommodated in the present political dispensation while the other three lost their senatorial bids. The ex-governor stated: “We were not consulted before that comment (by Ortom), and de- cried what he called “selfishness” in PDP. “Extreme selfishness is toxic to reconstruction! My personal worry is that Nigerians are not mindful of what they want and how to ask the right questions! So, we pose only the questions that the so-called villains want us to echo,” he regretted. Sowunmi, who has instituted a case in court against the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), insisted that the party must call NEC meetings to take decisions on matters affecting the party.
He demanded that the PDP acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Dama- gun and other members of the NWC should be restrained “from functioning, or continuing to function or discharge the functions of their offices until they call for, or cause to be called and held meeting of the NEC of the PDP in total fidelity and obeisance to the PDP constitution.” According to o him, the last NEC meeting of the PDP was held on September 8, 2022, and argued that it was a contravention of the provisions of Articles 31(4) of the party’s constitution, which states that “The National Executive Committee shall meet at least once in every quarter at the instance of the National Chairman, or at the request of one-third of members of the NEC….” Despite the claim by his former spokesperson, Daniel Bwala, that he would contest the 2027 presidency, Atiku is yet to declare interest in the nation’s Number 1 seat, which had been seeking to occupy since 1993.
When he addressed PDP leaders after his appeal against Tinubu’s election was dismissed by the Supreme Court last year, the former vice president said he is not ready to quit politics, but did not declare his next political move. But Sowunmi said Atiku is not the problem, adding: “PDP can zone the ticket outside his zone, to South-East.” The former governorship candidate for Ogun State, said every effort should be made to put Peter Obi on a bigger platform, to contest the next presidential election. “Peter Obi has shown that he can win elections by taking South-South, South-East, Abuja and Lagos. He has taken the shine off the PDP. “PDP has been inactive while Obi is everywhere as the opposition leader. Nothing stops PDP from handing over the ticket to Obi or backing him in any platform he is contesting for the presidency. “Obi needs a bigger platform to sack APC, which everyone now knows has failed,” he stated.
He however, would not subscribe to PDP merging with any political party, because, according to him, the PDP name is a brand. “The idea of merger is laziness on the PDP side,” he further stated. Sowunmi’s case against the party is likely to be heard this week.
