Like popular Nigerian slang, ‘lass lass everybody go chop breakfast’ three of five disgruntled governors were elected under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, the PDP, which has vowed to scrap the application. Presidential candidate from the party, Atiku Abubakar, may have received their own share of political pain.
Recall that the Governors, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abi State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and their leader, Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike had activities with can be described as anti-partisan activism, deciding in favor of another party’s presidential candidate, rejecting Atiku’s candidacy.
The PDP leadership crisis began after Wilke failed to win the party’s ticket to run for the country’s top leadership in May 2022.
Before the primaries that made the former vice president the PDP’s flag bearer, southern governors agreed that a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari should emerge from the south.
However, the PDP primaries did not favor Southerners, especially Wike, as Atiku won a total of 371 votes to defeat Governor Rivers, who won 237 votes in the election. preliminary May 2022. Angered by the results of the primaries, Wike and four other governors asked the party’s national president, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign.
According to the governors, it would not be fair to the South if the North produced a presidential candidate while simultaneously having a party chairman.
Ayu’s refusal to step down prompted governors to support either Peter Obi of the Labor Party or Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Radical Congress for the presidential vote.
The G-5 had a series of meetings with Tinubu in London on how to reach an agreement before last Saturday’s presidential election, but several governors disagreed.
Although there is no official announcement, it is clear that Wike, Makinde, and Ugwuanyi have decided to support the APC candidate. Contrary to this, Governor Ortom publicly endorsed the former governor of Anambra, claiming that he was the best of the top three candidates.
There were signs ahead of Saturday’s election that Ikpeazu had turned around and decided to support PDP candidate Atiku.
Although Wike is not running for elected office, Ortom, Ugwanyi, and Ikpeazu are running for senatorial seats in their different districts.
Makinde, who is seeking his second term, has seen some of his loyalists run for Senate in all three senate districts of Oyo State.
However, the results released by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC did not support the G-5.
Ortom
The governor of Benue lost the senatorial election to All Radical Congress candidate Titus Zam, his former special adviser on local government and leadership issues.
Zam, a staunch follower of former state governor George Akume, won 143,151 votes to beat Ortom, who won 106,882 while Labor Party candidate Mike Gbillah won 51,950.
Ortom reacted to the election results on Monday, saying he would study it and take appropriate action.
Ugwuanyi
Governor Ugwuanyi, who is completing his second term as Governor of Enugu State, lost his senatorial candidacy to the Labor Party, LP, while running for election from North Enugu Senate District, Okechukwu Ezea.
Chukwuemeka Ubaka, the returning election officer, announced the results on Monday at the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) collection center at the Nsukka local government regional headquarters. Mr Ezea, the LP candidate, won a total of 104,492 votes to defeat Mr. Ugwuanyi of the PDP, who came second with 46,948 votes.
Makinde
The governor of Oyo state, who is preparing for possible re-election on March 11 according to the PDP, has lost all three senatorial constituencies to the ruling party.
Senator Abdulfatai Buhari won Oyo North, Dr. Yunus Akintunde also claimed Oyo Central, while attorney Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli was declared Oyo South winner. They all dispute under APC.
PRESLOADED reports that there is currently tension in Makinde’s camp over his re-election bid as the ruling party could oust him in the election in March. Ikpeazu
INEC on Tuesday announced All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate Enyinnaya Abaribe as the winner of Saturday’s senatorial election in the Southern District of Abia.
The returning officer of the South Abia Parliamentary Elections, Georgina Ugwuanyi, made the statement before party agents at the collection center in Aba.
She said Mr. Abaribe received the highest number of votes in the election, with 49,903 votes.
According to her, Labor Party (LP) candidate Chinedu Onyeizu received 43,903 votes, while People’s Democratic Party Governor Okezie Ikpeazu received 28,422 votes to come in third.
Before the announcement of the election results, there had been a series of protests in the state against accusations that the administration was trying to change the initial results.
