10 months ago
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A former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mark Jacob, has shed light on the reasons behind Nyesom Wike’s support for President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general elections.
Despite being a prominent member of the PDP and the former governor of Rivers State, Wike broke ranks with his party to back Tinubu, the candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC), who eventually emerged victorious.
Wike’s unexpected endorsement of Tinubu was attributed to his leadership of the G5, a faction of dissatisfied PDP governors who were at odds with the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s national leadership at the time.
The G5, which included then-Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, emerged following the PDP presidential primary.
The group’s formation was a direct response to Atiku’s victory over Wike and others in the race to become the party’s flag bearer.
The core issue that led to the G5’s dissatisfaction was the leadership structure within the PDP, specifically the demand for the resignation of then PDP National Chairperson, Iyorchia Ayu.
The G5 argued that for the party to maintain regional balance, a southerner should replace Ayu, given that both Ayu and Atiku are from northern Nigeria.
In the aftermath of the elections, President Tinubu’s decision to appoint Wike as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, was widely seen as a gesture of gratitude for the latter’s support during the electoral campaign.
Wike’s support for Tinubu, crossing party lines, not only impacted the election’s outcome but also illustrated the intricate negotiations and realignments behind the scenes in Nigeria’s electoral politics.
Speaking on Wednesday when he appeared as a guest on Arise TV’s The Morning Show, Jacob said Wike, and other individuals he did not name, “deliberately worked against the party (PDP) in the election for his selfish interests.”
“My position has been that you can never succeed when you are fighting your own family,” he said, adding that Wike’s rebellion against the PDP was responsible for the party’s failure in the exercise.
The former legal adviser said Wike’s campaign to shift power to southern Nigeria was because he wanted to be president.
He said, “Everybody now knows that the campaign for power shift by Wike and his group was largely for themselves. It was not for everybody in the south otherwise people like Peter Obi should have been given the (presidential) slot in the PDP.”
Asked if Wike and others who allegedly worked against the PDP in the election should be expelled, he said, “Personally, I recommend that, as gentlemen, they should resign from the party.
“If they fail to resign, they should be sanctioned.”
