Contrary to some newspaper reports, the governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) actually came to an agreement to support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC's standard-bearer, instead of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his resentful group of PDP governors who had resolved to support the Labour Party's presidential candidate Peter Obi for the 2023 election.
During the week in London, the G5 Governors led by Governor Wike met with the APC presidential candidate, according to reliable sources.
At the meeting, they ruled out cooperating with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party and agreed to support Tinubu in the election.
Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo State, and Governor Wike are rumoured to be the first to publicly endorse Asiwaju Tinubu in January, with the other governors in the group following suit later.
Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue State, is said to be in a difficult position as a result of his apparent support for Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
But according to sources, all five governors have decided unanimously that they would not work for Atiku.
In response to Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP National Chairman, not resigning, the governors decided not to support Atiku. The governors claimed that neither the national chairman nor the presidential candidate could be produced in the North.
This came after Atiku won the party's presidential primary contest in May by defeating Wike and other candidates.
Since then, they have rejected each and every request from the Atiku camp, claiming that they will only work for him if Ayu resigns.
The G5 governors have had a number of talks with other groups, including separate sessions with Tinubu and Obi earlier in the year.
Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president and a well-known supporter of the Labour Party's presidential candidate, arranged the meeting with Obi.
However, when Makinde dispatched his deputy Adebayo Lawal to publicly support Tinubu during the APC candidate's meeting with Afenifere leader Reuben Fasoranti in October, signs began to emerge that the G5 governors could be on Tinubu's side.
“Since he (Makinde) was sworn in as governor, he hasn’t played with issues concerning Yorubaland,” Lawal said.
“There is no time Baba (Fasoranti) calls him that he doesn’t answer. Whatever they are doing, whether it’s under Afenifere or another group, governor Seyi Makinde has always been doing.
“Now, we are not of the same party, but we are connected by race. For this reason, the message he (Makinde) sent is that in Yorubaland, whatever you do, he is in support of it.”