Mark Jacob, a former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has provided insight into why Nyesom Wike supported President Bola Tinubu in the 2023 general elections.
Despite being a prominent member of the PDP and the former governor of Rivers State, Wike went against his party and endorsed Tinubu, who was the candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and eventually won the election.
Wike’s unexpected endorsement of Tinubu was a result of his leadership of the G5, a faction of dissatisfied PDP governors who were in disagreement with the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the party’s national leadership at that time.
The G5, which consisted of Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, was formed in response to Atiku’s victory over Wike and others in the PDP presidential primary.
The main problem that caused dissatisfaction among the G5 was the leadership structure in the PDP. Specifically, they demanded the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, who was the National Chairperson of the PDP at the time.
The G5 believed that in order to maintain regional balance, a person from the southern part of Nigeria should replace Ayu, since both Ayu and Atiku are from the northern region.
After the elections, President Tinubu appointed Wike as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This decision was widely seen as a way to show gratitude to Wike for his support during the electoral campaign.
Wike’s endorsement of Tinubu, despite being from different political parties, not only influenced the election’s result but also revealed the complex negotiations and realignments happening behind the scenes in Nigeria’s electoral politics.
During an interview on Arise TV’s The Morning Show, Jacob said Wike and other unnamed individuals “deliberately worked against the party (PDP) in the election for his selfish interests.”
“My position has been that you can never succeed when you are fighting your own family.”
The ex-legal adviser claimed that Wike’s efforts to transfer power to southern Nigeria were driven by his desire to become president.
He said, “Everybody now knows that the campaign for power shift by Wike and his group was largely for themselves. It was not for everybody in the south otherwise people like Peter Obi should have been given the (presidential) slot in the PDP.”
Asked if Wike and others who allegedly worked against the PDP in the election should be expelled, he said, “Personally, I recommend that, as gentlemen, they should resign from the party.
“If they fail to resign, they should be sanctioned.”
