Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said the ongoing wave of defections rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has justified the stance taken by the G-5 governors led by former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Fayose stated that the governors, who were once branded as traitors, had only acted in line with their convictions and foresaw the internal crisis currently tearing the opposition party apart.
Naijaonpoint reports that the former governor spoke during an interview on TVC, where he insisted that recent events within the PDP had proven that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wike, and his allies were right all along.
Reacting to the mass movement of PDP governors, lawmakers and party leaders to other political platforms, Fayose said the defectors acted based on what they believed would protect their political future and the interests of their people.
“Most of the governors that jumped did so in their own interest, what they felt would secure their future and their people. I wouldn’t blame them,” Fayose said.
Fayose disclosed that he had earlier alerted the PDP leadership about looming trouble within the party, but his warnings were not taken seriously.
According to him, the signs of collapse were evident long before the defections began.
“When the roof started sinking, I came out and spoke. I told Sẹ́un Okinbaloye that the PDP would face a lot of challenges,” he stated.
The former Ekiti governor explained that Wike never hid his dissatisfaction with the PDP leadership, especially over agreements reached with the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar.
Fayose said Wike openly complained that the understandings reached were not honoured.
“Governor Wike did not hide anything. He openly said that what Atiku agreed with them was not done. He fought that cause and he did not fight alone,” he said.
He added that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, alongside other members of the G-5 alliance, stood firmly with Wike and made several efforts to resolve the crisis, including engaging President Bola Tinubu at different times.
Fayose noted that the alliance remained resolute despite public backlash and intense criticism.
According to Fayose, many Nigerians initially described the G-5 governors as traitors to the PDP, but recent developments have altered that perception.
“Many people saw the G-5 governors as traitors. But if you sit back now, the presidential candidate of the PDP has left, the vice-presidential candidate has left, governors and senators have left,” he said.
Fayose concluded that the spate of defections has confirmed that Wike had a clearer understanding of the party’s internal problems long before others recognised them.
“That means Wike has been vindicated. What they never saw, Wike saw earlier on,” he added.