G5 Resurrects, Visits  President Tinubu, Lobbies For Accommodation

By Gideon Njoku

Members of G5, led by their most active member, former Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, regrouped on Thursday, June 8, 2023, for a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

The G5 is a group of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Governors who worked against their Party’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar  in favour of the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, who is now the President.

Out of the five of them, only the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, is still in office. Like their Leader, Wike, he supported Tinubu, but was luckier than the others. While he won a second term in office, his colleagues, Samuel Ortom, Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu, lost in their bid to go to the Senate. Wike did not contest for any position. But he was able to install his successor, as did Ugwuanyi, shaky as Ugwuanyi’s is. Neither Ortom nor Ikpeazu was able to install their successors.

Since after the General Elections, the G5 has been quiet. However, they have suddenly woken up.

It began, gradually, two weeks ago with a visit to President Tinubu by Wike and Makinde. Since that visit, Wike has visited  the President two more times, the most recent on Tuesday,  in the company of two former APC Governors – Dave Umahi, Ebonyi, now Senator-elect, and Senator Godswill Akpabio, former Akwa Ibom Governor and immediate past Minister for Niger Delta.

On Thursday, the G5 Group fully woke up with a visit to the President at the Villa by five of them. Obviously, led by Wike, it is not yet known why they visited considering that they are still, as they claim, in PDP.

However, speculations are rife that their visit is, allegedly, to firm up their reward for “scattering”the PDP during the Election in favour of Tinubu.

Speculations are strong that they went to negotiate for positions and how and where they could be accommodated by the President

Already, Wike, in the past few days has hinted that he is likely to get an appointment in the new Government.

There are, also, speculations that the G5 members are likely to dump the PDP for the APC.

Whatever, the next few weeks, or even days, promises to be interesting.

The question not a few people  are asking is: Will the PDP, finally, have the courage to expel its “rogue” high profile “members”, or will the pretence continue?