Atiku in trouble as details of presidential candidate Wike plans to support emerge

There are indications that the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, will declare support for Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in January 2023.

This is as leaders of the APC expressed optimism that Wike-led G5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will support Tinubu in the 2023 presidential elections, Independent reported.

The G5 governors also known as the Integrity Group are the aggrieved governors of the PDP calling for the resignation of the party's national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a precondition to support Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP.

They include Wike, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Oyo's Seyi Makinde, Samuel Ortom and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Benue and Enugu.

Last week, Governor Wike promised to reveal the presidential candidate he would be campaigning for in January ahead of the 2023 election.

The governor also disclosed that he would embark on nationwide campaigns for the candidate, to convince Nigerians to cast their votes for him.

Speaking on Sunday, a member of the national working committee of the APC who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the leaders of the ruling party are confident that Wike and his allies will declare support for Tinubu.

His statement reads in part: "We in the APC are very confident the G-5 governors will back Asiwaju. There are three major presidential candidates in the election. They have completely ruled out Atiku of PDP. Atiku’s campaign team even boasted that they can win the election without the support of the integrity governors. Don’t forget, Atiku also ignored Seyi Makinde and announced Ademola Adeleke as the Chairman of the South-West Coordinating Committee of the campaign council”.