Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike was not present on Wednesday as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-South endorsed the party’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa.
WITHIN NIGERIA, it was learned that the Governors met on Wednesday in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
Godwin Obaseki (Edo State), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta State), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom State), and their host Duoye Diri are among the governors attending the meeting (Bayelsa State).
Governor Wike, who leads the G-5 group, was not present at the meeting.
The Rivers State Governor and his allies have promised not to back Atiku if the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, refuses to resign.
Northern dominance in key positions in the party has been condemned by the disgruntled governors.
Obaseki told reporters after the meeting that they came together to support Atiku and Okowa ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The governor of Edo State also stated that the South-South PDP governors met in Bayelsa to commiserate with their colleague whose state was recently ravaged by floods.
Obaseki said;
We have a PDP South-South Governors Forum and our vice presidential candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa is our Chairman and we decided to host a meeting of the Forum in Bayelsa this evening to have an opportunity to come and visit our brother who has gone through so much in the flooding crisis we have here.
It also afforded us an opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest to us PDP governors ahead of the next presidential and national elections.
We also want to use the opportunity to come and show support and also find out from our brother, the vice presidential candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa on the goings on on the national level and to reiterate our total support for the candidacy of President Atiku Abubakar and to assure them that we are here.