Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has said the G-5, consisting of former governor Nyesom Wike, Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu of Rivers, Benue, Enugu and Abia states are seeking appointment and protection from prosecution from the Federal Government.

Atiku, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said their decision not to support his 2023 presidential bid has nothing to do with patriotism.

The former vice president, who was reacting to comments by former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, on why he did not support the PDP presidential candidate, in the last election, said the latter ought to have been bold to campaign for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the last election.

The G-5, alongside their allies, including Fayose, had refused to be part of the PDP presidential campaign due to differences between them and the opposition party in the aftermath of the presidential primary.

Atiku noted that the former Ekiti governor, who admitted in a television interview that he worked against his party in the last president poll was only running from pillar to post in order to get Tinubu to discontinue his N1.7 billion corruption case at the Federal High Court.

He said: “On September 20, 2022, Fayose, while addressing his supporters in Ado Ekiti, publicly stated that he would be supporting Waziri Atiku Abubakar despite Wike’s protests. A simple Google search will confirm this.

“Then after Tinubu’s dubious victory, Fayose quickly changed gears, stating that he was the one who delivered Ekiti State to the APC. This is his stock in trade. He is a lily-livered rabble-rouser who loves to be in the spotlight and pretends to be more popular than he really is.

“This is the deception of the man. Aware of the fact that he cannot get a ministerial appointment because of people like Kayode Fayemi, Dele Alake and Dayo Adeyeye who are jostling for the Ekiti slot, Fayose is now running from pillar to post, trying to get an appointment for his son while also trying to get the government to withdraw his corruption case from court.

“G-5 governors were only seeking relevance, appointments, and protection from prosecution, their decision not to support Atiku had nothing to do with patriotism, and Nigerians should not be deceived.”

“Ortom was one of the worst governors in the history of Nigeria. His case file at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is bulky, and he was recently invited but released because of Wike’s intervention.

“Ikpeazu, the former governor of Abia State, also performed woefully in office. His successor has been complaining almost on a daily basis. But the EFCC will not prosecute him because of the G-5 connection. This is what they have turned the country into. No wonder, they believe Nigeria needs an average mad person.”