Tinubu’s meeting with Wike, Makinde and James Ibori
The newly elected President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, invited a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori and his counterpart from Rivers State, and the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde.
The detail of the meeting is unknown; however, the trio worked assiduously to ensure the success of Tinubu’s triumph.
In May, Mr Tinubu’s expressed his appreciation to the trio for their support, particularly Wike, to whom he said, “Thank you for your contribution to my victory,”
“I went through a gruesome campaign, fought hard, supported by many of you, and I won. Fair and square.
“I couldn’t have done it without some structural support you gave me which I can’t describe (repay) in my honouring of your invitation to commission this flyover.”
The meeting happened on Friday at the presidential office in Aso Villa around 4:20 pm.
During Iboris’ term as governor of Delta State from 1999 to 2007, Mr Tinubu served as governor of Lagos State. However, Ibori was later convicted and sentenced to 13 years imprisonment by Southwark Crown Court on April 17, 2012.
The Guardian described Ibori as a “petty thief who eventually became one of Nigeria’s richest men” after admitting to nearly £50m fraud.
Ibori forfeited a house in Hampstead, North London, worth £2.2m.
Nyesom Wike, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, did not support his colleagues during the presidential election. This was because he was not able to secure the ticket, and he accused the PDP council of being biased. He believed that they failed to follow through on their promise to zone the ticket to the South.
Wike and Makinde are part of a well-known group of five PDP governors called the G5. This group also includes Okezie Ikpeazu, the former governor of Abia State, Ifeanyi Ugwanyi, the immediate past governor of Enugu State, and Samuel Ortom, the former governor of Benue State.
G5 pledged to oppose the PDP and its presidential nominee, Atiku Abubakar. Additionally, they advocated for the suspension of the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu.
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