The five aggrieved G5 governors of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, has begun moves to woo Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed into their group in its face of with her presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
The G5 is made up of Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue); Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), is expected to meet Mohammed today in Bauchi, capital of Benue State.
To forestall further expansion of intra-party opposition to his person and presidential campaign, Atiku Abubakar, held a meeting with the Bauchi governor in Abuja yesterday, shortly after returning to the country from his trip abroad.
Mohammed had complained to the national chairman, Dr. Iyiochia Ayu, that Atiku had sidelined him by refusing to visit him after the presidential primary, although he visited other aspirants.
He also alleged that Atiku was frustrating his re-election bid.
Mohammed, who is the vice chairman of the Atiku Campaign Council in the Northeast, also alleged that Atiku picked campaign coordinators from his state without consultation with him.
Mohammed allege that Atiku was bent on “punishing him for contesting the presidential primary and not stepping down for him”.
Mohammed’s letter of November 3 to the national chairman forced Ayu to lead a delegation to Bauchi last Saturday to appease him.
There are indications yesterday that the aggrieved G5 governors may have capitalized on the sidelining of Mohammed by Atiku, to woo him to their side.
A source said: “Since Atiku is yet to meet peace terms with Bala and other stakeholders, the G-5 has been mounting pressure on him to join their team in the battle against Atiku.
“All the aggarieved five governors are relocating to Bauchi on Wednesday to prove a point that they are forces to be reckoned with in the party.
“We do not know whether or not Bala will accept the offer to increase the team to G-6.”
In his letter to Ayu, the Bauchi governor opened up on how he was hurt by Atiku and demanded an apology.
The letter reads in part: “There have been undisguised efforts to sabotage my re-election and impose on the state, a governor from another party who is ready to satisfy their selfish interests to the detriment of the larger interest of the people of the state.
“I wish to state that I am indeed surprised by the underserved attitude of Atiku Abubakar towards me. He knows that I have always regarded him as an elder and I have always accorded him all the respect he deserves as the shining light of our North East zone and a foremost nationalist and statesman. In recognition of this, we built and named one of the most important roads in Bauchi after him.”
“While Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his political cohorts insist that I must be punished for contesting against him during the presidential primary, the self-acclaimed kingmakers around the Wazirin Adamawa want a pound of flesh from me because I have refused to capitulate to their unbridled sense of entitlement which is pregnant with selfish and dictatorial tendencies.
“Based on the above, I wish to make the final following points; that our presidential candidate should issue a public statement disowning renegade elements who are neck-deep in the anti-party plot of subverting my re-election effort and to admonish members of our party to reject the devious overtures and manipulative strategies of my detractors.”
“Short of complete public repudiation of those incognities (sic) within a reasonable time frame, coupled with explicit guarantee of sincerity of purpose and public support of my re-election by the presidential candidate, I may withdraw from the PCC and feel free to create new measures and strategies that would guarantee the election and re-election of all PDP candidates in Bauchi and myself.”