Atiku’s Mortal Sin And Why We Worked Against Him

A member of the G5 Governors that worked against former vice president Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election says the Peoples Democratic , Party, PDP presidential candidate committed a mortal sin by picking the party’s ticket that year, when there was an agreement that the position should be zoned to the south.

This was the reason why the five PDP governors under the aegis of G5 worked against his election, according to the former governor Samuel Ortom. They all worked for the APC candidate in the election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who later won the election , Ortom said.

The five ‘rebel’ governors included Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Seyi Makinde (Oyo).

Ortom spoke on Arise Television on Thursday, stressing that the PDP failed the test of ‘equity, fairness and Justice” by picking Abubakar as its candidate, after a northerner, President Muhammadu Buhari had taken the slot of the region.

Buhari ruled for eight years, and based on gentleman arrangement in the country, the presidency was expected to return to the south.

Revealing why the G5 worked for Tinubu, the former governor said Abukakar and PDP breached the power rotation agreement between the north and south, accsing them of betrayal.

“We had thought the PDP would uphold equity, fairness, and justice. But unfortunately, they did not,’ Ortom said.

“I couldn’t understand how, after eight years of a northern presidency, the party would support another northern candidate,” he said.

Ortom withdrew support for Abubakar in the election and backed Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

“For us in the G5, it was about equity. We believed the presidency should go to the South. That was why I worked against the PDP in 2023.

“Even if I lost my senatorial election after serving eight years as governor, it didn’t matter. I wanted it to be known that there are still people who believe in justice, equity, and fairness.

“Politics is selfish. When your interests are not protected, you look elsewhere. Yes, Wike is my friend, we worked together, and he remains my friend,” he said.