Senate President Urges PDP Aggrieved Group to Join APC for Smooth Ride in 2027 Presidential Election
Godswill Akpabio, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and Senate President, has urged the aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Nyesom Wike and others known as the G5, to make winning the 2027 presidential election for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) smooth. He made the statement during a thanksgiving reception held at Wike’s private residence on Ada-George Road, in his hometown, Rumueprikom in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Sunday.
Akpabio commended Governor Wike and other members of the G5 for their contributions towards Nigeria’s justice and advised them to come together with another aggrieved group within the PDP to ensure a win for the APC in the 2027 presidential election. To Akpabio, a win requires a united APC front, which can only happen if there are more groups like the G5. He even suggested that they could add two more members, making the group the G7, to ensure that the APC continues to perform well in the country.
G5 Members Present at the Event
During the event, attended by Very Important Personalities (VIPs), Akpabio predicted that Seyi Makinde, one of the G5 members and governor of Oyo State, would win the governorship election, which he did. Other members of the G5 that were present include Samuel Ortom, the former governor of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, and Nyesom Wike, who is the current Governor of Rivers State.
Also, in attendance were Ayo Fayose, another member of the Integrity Group and former Ekiti State governor, Umar Damagum, the Acting PDP Chairman, Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State, Abdullahi Ganduje, the Kano State governor, and James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State, to name a few.
APC’s Presidential Candidate for 2023 Election
The G5 is a group of five aggrieved politicians within the PDP who kicked against the emergence of Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President, as the party’s presidential candidate during the 2023 general elections. The group insisted on rotational presidency after President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, a former military head of state from Katsina State in North-West Nigeria, whose two-term tenure as democratically elected President ends in May 2023. The G5 could not stop Atiku from getting the party’s ticket even though they demanded that Iyorchia Ayu step down for a southern replacement as PDP national chairman.
Final Thoughts
Akpabio’s statement can be seen as a move to recruit more PDP members to the APC, which is already taking place in different parts of the country. With the ruling party anticipated to field a Southern presidential candidate in 2023, Akpabio’s wish for a united front to make winning the presidency in 2027 smooth may not be far from reality.
