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The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has asked the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and his friends in the G5 to ensure a similar group is formed within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to create a smooth pathway to victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
The G5 is a group of five aggrieved politicians who opposed their party's decision to elect a northerner and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its flag-bearer in the 2023 presidential election.
The members of the group consisting of Wike, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, former Governors of Benue, Abia, and Enugu States, Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi respectively, were believed to have contributed to the party's failure in the February 25 poll.
Akpabio craves another G5 group ahead of 2027
Meanwhile, the Senate President said he wished for another aggrieved group to emerge within the PDP ahead of the next general elections to make things easier for his party.
He said this on Sunday, June 18, 2023, at a thanksgiving reception held at Wike’s private residence on Ada-George Road, in his hometown, Rumuepirikom in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the oil-rich South-South state.
Akpabio, a former Akwa Ibom State governor, also used the occasion to thank Wike for backing the return of power to Southern Nigeria and supporting All Progressives Congress (APC)'s candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“I want to thank you for all your efforts to bring justice to Nigeria,” the Senate President said.
“And I want to thank the G5 Governors.
“We are very delighted, we are proud to have G5. Please, ensure that in 2027, another G5 emerges so that APC will continue to do well in this country. And if you like, you can add two more, make it G7 and not only G5,” Akpabio added.