He maintained that the decision of the five PDP governors not to support his 2023 presidential bid had nothing to do with patriotism.
Former Vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has stated that some of the former governors under the PDP, who worked against him have ongoing corruption cases at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but are being shielded because of their parley with the Bola Tinubu presidency.
Atiku noted that the so-called PDP G-5 governors were now seeking appointment and protection from prosecution from the Tinubu-led Federal Government.
The PDP G-5 governors led by former governor Nyesom Wike are Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
SaharaReporters had reported that the G-5 Governors alongside their allies, including former governor of Ekiti State Ayo Fayose, had refused to be part of the PDP presidential campaign due to differences between them and the opposition party in the aftermath of the presidential primary.
The former Vice President in a release through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the administration of former Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, as the worst in Nigeria's history, noting that his corruption case file at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was mountainous.
He maintained that the decision of the five PDP governors not to support his 2023 presidential bid had nothing to do with patriotism.
He disclosed that both Ortom and Ikpeazu would not be prosecuted by EFCC's because of the G-5 connection, adding that was the level they had turned the country into.
Atiku who was reacting to comments by former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, on why he did not support the PDP presidential candidate, in the last election, said the latter ought to have been bold to campaign for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the last election.
Atiku noted that the former Ekiti governor was only running from pillar to post in order to get Tinubu to discontinue his N1.7billion corruption case at the Federal High Court.
The statement partly read, “On September 20, 2022, Fayose, while addressing his supporters in Ado Ekiti, publicly stated that he would be supporting Waziri Atiku Abubakar despite Wike’s protests. A simple Google search will confirm this.
“Then after Tinubu’s dubious victory, Fayose quickly changed gears, stating that he was the one who delivered Ekiti State to the APC. This is his stock in trade. He is a lily-livered rabble-rouser who loves to be in the spotlight and pretends to be more popular than he really is.
“This is the deception of the man. Aware of the fact that he cannot get a ministerial appointment because of people like Kayode Fayemi, Dele Alake and Dayo Adeyeye who are jostling for the Ekiti slot, Fayose is now running from pillar to post, trying to get an appointment for his son while also trying to get the government to withdraw his corruption case from court.
“G-5 governors were only seeking relevance, appointments, and protection from prosecution, their decision not to support Atiku had nothing to do with patriotism, and Nigerians should not be deceived.”
“Ortom was one of the worst governors in the history of Nigeria. His case file at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is bulky, and he was recently invited but released because of Wike’s intervention.
“Ikpeazu, the former governor of Abia State, also performed woefully in office. His successor has been complaining almost on a daily basis. But the EFCC will not prosecute him because of the G-5 connection. This is what they have turned the country into. No wonder, they believe Nigeria needs an average mad person.”