Presidential candidate from All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has denied reports of a secret meeting between him and G5 governors in London.
Mr. Tinubu, in a statement by his aide, Tunde Rahman, on Saturday, confirmed that the APC candidate was indeed in London to rest before going to Saudi Arabia for a smaller Hajj but never met the governors.
Several national dailies in Nigeria reported a meeting between Mr. Tinubu and G5 governors, including Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde (Oyo,) Okieze Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Samuel Ortom (Benue) in London.
The governors demanded that the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, step down as a condition to support the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He demanded to replace Mr. Ayu with a southerner to balance the leadership structure of the party.
Messrs. Ayu and Atiku are both from the north.
Some reports have it that the aggrieved PDP governor and Mr. Tinubu reached an agreement on a possible alliance ahead of the presidential race.
Mr. Wike, the leader of the G5 group, had denied the reports shortly after returning to the country on Friday.
News of a possible alliance between the two parties could have political ramifications for members of the ruling party in states like Rivers, Benue, and Oyo State, where the ruling party has strong candidates.
In August, the two parties met in London to discuss possible collaboration before 2023.
Tinubu is free to meet anyone
While rejecting the report, Mr. Rahman said the report was “published to promote the political interests of the writers and sponsors.”
However, he added that Mr. Tinubu is free to meet with any group to pursue his ambitions.
“This report, at least, is not only in bad faith, but also has bad intentions. It was published to promote the political interests of the writers and sponsors.
Also read: 2023: Wike will reveal his preferred presidential candidate in January
“The Presidential Standard Bearer of the All Progressives Congress, HE Asiwaju Tinubu, is not bothered by the article or its well-known sponsors.
“But we must state that APC candidates have the right to meet with political actors or stakeholders who are important for their campaigns and plans for the country and who want to join them,” he said.
Mr. Rahman said the former Lagos governor would return to the state in two days.
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