Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State emphasized his opposition to Atiku’s ambition to emerge as the country’s president at the PDP’s campaign flag-off in his state where he shunned the presidential candidate and instead gave prominent roles to the G-5 faction of the party.
The G-5 is a group of five PDP governors, including Governor Ugwuanyi, determined to block the emergence of Atiku over grievances about the conduct of the party’s primaries and the candidate’s refusal to honour the north-south power rotation agreement governing the country’s politics.
Atiku was a conspicuous absence at the event where his foes within the party, particularly Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, held sway and led important activities, including the symbolic handing of flags to candidates of the party in the state.
By snubbing Atiku, Governor Ugwuanyi provided a snapshot of the crisis raging within the PDP and underlined the continued rebellion of the influential five governors, contrary to reports of possible reconciliation.
Atiku’s path to victory has been complicated by his rejection by the five governors, given that all of them are from the southern region, including the southeast where the Vice President has relied on block votes in the past to improve his chances.
It is also a free throw to his main opponent, the APC’s Bola Tinubu, who has received the endorsement of the River State chapter of the PDP led effectively by Governor Nyesom Wike who is also the voice of the G-5 faction.