Some serving Nigerian governors have expressed their intention to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
Ahead of their presidential primaries in Abuja, 38 presidential hopefuls have been going around the 36 states and FCT in private jets to woo delegates for their votes.
It is understood that the aspirants spend millions of naira to charter private jets to move around and talk to delegates to advance their presidential ambitions.
According to Daily Trust, a private jet charter costs between $7,000 (over N4m at 580/$) to $10,000 (N5.8m) per hour depending on the size of the plane.
It was learned that the price could be higher when one requests for a bigger luxury jet, which could carry up to 11 passengers like Challenger or Beechcraft Hawker with up to 13 passenger capacity.
While some of the aspirants have been travelling across the country in chartered aircraft, the spending of the nine serving governors has attracted public attention and scrutiny.
The governors with presidential ambition include Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Ben Ayade (Cross River), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Mohammed Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi).
Below is the list of governors who have so far spent millions of naira to charter private jets to move around the country to advance their presidential ambitions.
Nyesom Wike
Leading the governors who have travelled across the country is Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
The governor has visited 20 states including Kaduna, Edo, Kogi, Lagos, Katsina, Kano, Ekiti, Ondo and Cross River all by air using private jets.
Wike has also visited Ebonyi, Adamawa, Plateau, Anambra, Niger, Imo, Ogun, Oyo, Bayelsa, Benue and Kebbi states using private jets.
Nyesom Wike
Aminu Tambuwal
Like his Rivers State counterpart, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has visited 20 states in order to woo delegates ahead of the PDP presidential primary.
Tambuwal, who is also eyeing the PDP presidential ticket has been to Taraba, Borno, Yobe, Kogi, Niger, Gombe, Kaduna and Zamfara States.
The Sokoto governor has also flown to Plateau, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kogi, FCT, Ogun and Osun States.
Aminu Tambuwal
Kayode Fayemi
On his part, the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi, has visited 16 states in the course of his presidential campaigns.
The states visited by Fayemi are; Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Kano, Nasarawa, Benue, Kebbi, Sokoto, Rivers, Anambra, Ogun, Osun and Ondo.
Kayode Fayemi
Bala Mohammed
Another Governor who has been travelling around the country to seek votes from delegates is the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed.
Despite the fact that he is a first-term governor, Mohammed is deeply engrossed in his presidential ambition.
States visited by the Bauchi governor include; FCT, Anambra, Enugu, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Oyo, Kaduna, Niger, Jigawa, Taraba and Katsina.
Bala Mohammed
Emmanuel Udom
So far, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Emmanuel Udom, has visited six states including Plateau, Katsina, Edo, Oyo, Cross River and Gombe.
The governor is one of the 15 contenders cleared for the PDP presidential primaries.
Emmanuel Udom
