Former President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, has said that nobody is against the demands being made by Governor Nyesom Wike and his aggrieved colleagues.
The G-5 Governors are demanding, among other things, that the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, steps aside.
The governors, angered by the outcome of the party’s presidential primary election won by Atiku Abubakar, have been demanding that the party Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, steps down.
But the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and a majority of the party’s leaders have refused to succumb to the demand, insisting that if at all possible, it would happen only after the election.
“This is not what Atiku can do by his own decision. I can assure you that it is an issue of timing,” Saraki said on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Monday, January 16, 2023.
“Everybody is on the same page with what the G-5 are asking for. It’s all about when it will happen.
“These are the kinds of things we are talking about now. Nobody is against what they’re saying but it’s about timing, when it’ll happen and how we’ll go about it and we’re working to see those issues are addressed.
“The Chairman himself didn’t say he wants to sit tight but what is important before us now is the election.
“I don’t see Atiku being sworn in May 2023 and the Chairman still remains in that office. I don’t see it. It’s all about timing and how to go about it.”
PDP G-5 Governors: Benue’s Ortom Explains Why The Group Is Standing With Wike
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said he cannot abandon his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike because he has proved to be a trusted and dependable ally.
Ortom stated this at a banquet in honour of governors Wike, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Seyi Makinde, and Okezie Ikpeazu on Sunday, November 6, 2022, in Makurdi.
According to him, when bandits suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked him, Wike was the first person to condemn it.
“When Benue was under siege, he donated N250 million and he subsequently spent over N700 million to support the State to tackle the humanitarian crisis occasioned by the unwarranted attacks,” Ortom said.
“He didn’t stop at that. He convinced Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom to also assist the State and he donated N200 million to us.
“Is he not a worthy friend? He’s a worthy friend and we’re working together to liberate the country,” he added.
Ortom said that he wouldn’t support the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, stressing that any of Atiku’s supporters is his enemy.
“I’m not going to support any Fulani man to continue to do injustice to my people unless my people tell me to do otherwise,” Ortom said.
Responding on behalf of the visiting governors, Wike thanked Ortom for the honour he had given to them.
Wike said, “People want to break us but they cannot, we are bonded; therefore, we cannot be separated.”
Wike further advised the leadership of the PDP at the centre to always respect agreements for peace to reign.
Source: Daily Post
