Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), stated yesterday that it would be difficult for the G-5 Governors to ask their supporters to support a party other than the PDP.
Nwodo, who was also a former governor of Enugu State, argued that it would be difficult for the candidates to persuade their supporters to support candidates running on different political platforms because three of the governors are running for senatorial seats on the same day as the presidential election.
Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, has promised to reorganize Nigeria and transfer the presidency over to the South East after completing his eight-year term, the PDP presidential candidate said in a speech at his country house in Ukehe, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State.
“It is very clear that the four PDP governors out of the G-5 that have elections to contest are finding it difficult to campaign for another presidential candidate on the same day that their ballots would be thrown. The presidential election is the same day with the Senate election and three of them are running for Senate. It would be difficult to convince the people to vote for another party on that day and still vote for them under the platform of PDP.
“Seyi Makinde is equally running for governorship election and what happens in the presidential election will have effect on the governorship election because there is likely to be a bandwagon effect that the presidential and Senatorial elections may affect what happens in the governorship and House of Assembly elections.
“With the way things are playing out now, I am sure that every camp would continue to struggle hard for the undecided voters which are still of reasonable number. That can still change the tide here and there. By and large, we in PDP know that we will win this election.
When asked about Atiku’s campaign pledges, he responded, “I have always said that the Federal Government owed the people of the South East to dialogue with us to cease all these agitations, whether we are talking about Biafra or unknown gunmen. The Federal Government is able to meet any demand in the South East of today, but it has vehemently refused to engage in dialogue with us. These scattered agitations are the outcome.