Nigeria decides: Ex-APC spokesman, Nabena warns presidential candidates against relying on G-5 governors

The APC chieftain described the aggrieved governors as confused, handicapped and lacking the capacity to sway the outcome of election victory for any of the presidential candidate.

Speaking at an interactive session on Friday in Abuja, he cautioned political leaders, especially in APC that are still romancing with the G-5 governors to have a rethink.

The governors include Benue, Samuel Ortom, Enugu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Oyo, Seyi Makinde, Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu, and Nyesom Wike of Rivers states as their leader.

He further argued that apart from Wike, other four governors are not capable and have not lived up to the expectations to deliver reasonable votes for any of the presidential candidates.

Nabena also noted that unless the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deliver election materials to state government house directly and allow them to manipulate the process, the forthcoming general election is beyond the reach of some poorly-performed serving governors like Ortom, Ikpeazu, Ugwuanyi and Makinde, except Wike who has some infrastructure to show the people.

Asked whether his party will embrace the G-5 if they decide to work for its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, Nabena, noted that: “the G-5 governors are confused and handicapped whether as PDP men or as supporter of any opposition party.

“We have been hearing all manners of things. Today they are with Asiwaju, tomorrow they are with Peter Obi and next tomorrow they may work for Atiku. Which one do we believe?

“If they support our party and we win in the February presidential election, our members won’t see the G-5 governors as an ally to be trusted. Again if they change their minds and work for Atiku, and (God forbid) PDP wins after all they have told Nigerians, they will still be treated as pariahs. The same treatment will befall them in Labour Party. Therefore, give or take, these governors are losers in waiting,” he argued.

The Bayelsa-born politician urged Nigerians to ignore the “noise making-governors,” adding that; “no serious presidential candidate is still counting on their support to win in February.”

“The new Electoral Act has dramatically reduced the influence of seating governors to do magic during election unless the electoral umpire decides to handover the process to them. The less performing governors are the worst for it because electorate won’t listen to them on election day.

“Again, the new innovations Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) introduced by INEC, if religiously followed, is another challenge to those who think they can sway the vote. This BVAS is not anybody’s mate. People will decide and not governors any longer.

“I will advise those who are still waiting on the G-5 governors to shift their attention to the real voters because these governors won’t be at the polling unit on election day,” Nabena said.

On his assessment of ongoing APC campaign rallies across the state of the federation, Nabena said: “Tinubu’s candidacy has nationwide acceptance. That’s why you see massive support wherever the campaign train goes.

“By the God’s grace victory is certain for the APC and that is why I don’t think we need the support of these paperweight G-5 governors because it will be unfair to our leaders in these five states who are working hard and mobilising for our candidate (Tinubu) to be relegated for the PDP governors.”

The APC chieftain, however, called for more inclusion in the ongoing process to deliver Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket.

“I will call on our leaders to bring more people on board. There are certain people who are still aggrieved because of one thing or the other, especially as a result of primary elections that produced various candidate at all levels. The APC national leaders should do more to ensure genuiue reconciliation across board,” Nabena appealed.