Wike, Makinde, Ortom make PDP’s campaign councils for off-cycle elections

Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo and Samuel Ortom, former governor of Benue, have all made the PDP’s national campaign council lists for the off-cycle elections.

The off-cycle governorship elections will hold in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states on November 11, 2023.

In the lists signed by Debo Ologunagba, spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Tuesday, the “G5 governors”, including Okezie Ikpeazu, former governor of Abia, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former governor of Enugu state, also made the cut. 

While Makinde, Wike, and Ikpeazu, were shortlisted as members of the campaign council for the Bayelsa election, Ortom appeared as a member in both Bayelsa and Kogi.

Ugwuanyi was listed as a member in Imo and Bayelsa campaign council.

“The national working committee (NWC) of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has approved the nomination of the following party stakeholders to serve in the national campaign councils for the forthcoming governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states,” the statement reads.

“The council shall be inaugurated on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

“During the inauguration, certificate of return will be presented to the guber candidates in the 3 states.” 

Known as G5, the governors allegedly worked against Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the February 2023 election.

Their grouse with Atiku bordered on zoning and equity for all geopolitical zones.

The governors had insisted on the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, the former national chairman of the party, on the grounds that the party’s presidential candidate and national chairman should not hail from the same region.

Wike was nominated by President Bola Tinubu for the role of minister and has since been screened by the senate.