Federal Capital Territory Minister and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has recalled how members of the G5 governors reached their decision to support Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election despite remaining members of the Peoples Democratic Party.
During an interview from 05:55 on Arise News, Wike said the group did not hold discussions with the APC Governors Forum or negotiate with the ruling party before making its position known.
“When the G5 decided to support Tinubu, we did not meet the APC Governors Forum; we met Tinubu directly and told him we would support him,” Wike said.
He said the arrangement was directly between members of the G5 and Tinubu, adding that he had never regretted the decision to support him.
Wike explained that one of his reasons at the time was his belief that the presidency should return to southern Nigeria after a president from the North had completed eight years in office.
According to him, allowing another northern candidate to immediately succeed that administration would not have reflected the political balance he believed Nigeria required.
He maintained that the G5’s support for Tinubu therefore did not amount to joining the APC or promising to support every candidate fielded by the ruling party.
The minister made the distinction after APC governors resolved that their campaign commitment would be exclusively to APC candidates at every level in the 2027 elections.
Wike argued that politicians from other parties could legitimately mobilise for Tinubu at the presidential level while continuing to support candidates belonging to their respective parties in other elections.
He therefore maintained that his current political strategy was consistent with the arrangement that began in 2023, when the G5 dealt directly with Tinubu rather than entering into an alliance with the APC Governors Forum.