Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has said the demands by the group of five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors was beyond the call for Dr Iyorchia Ayu’s resignation as national chairman.
G-5 governors, also known as the Intergrity Group, comprise Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Ikpeazu.
They have been locked in a protracted feud with the party leadership over Dr Ayu’s refusal to step down, contrary to his promise to quit if the presidential candidate was picked from the North.
They have insisted that Ayu’s resignation is a condition for supporting PDP presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in next year’s election.
Ikpeazu said the philosophy of the G5 governors was beyond the 2023 general election.
In an interview at the Government House Lodge in Aba, the governor said the agitation for inclusiveness was aimed at strengthening fairness and mutual trust in the country.
According to Ikpeazu, the group’s agitation hinges around integrity, which he said was lacking in the current political configuration.
He believes a united Nigeria would be realised if there is political, economic and social harmony.
“There are issues of integrity, keeping promises, making sure that if we say ‘after me, it’s you’, when that time comes, it happens.
“It will stabilise us as a country and engender social mobilisation sufficient to tackle our security problems, tackle the economic problems, and tackle other problems that confront us in this country.
“G-5 speaks to a new paradigm. It is beyond 2023. It speaks about a new paradigm.
“In 2027, I will still want a system that will include everybody irrespective of what the outcome of the 2023 elections may be.
“We are saying we want a strong North that respects the South, just as we want a strong South that has respect for the North.
“That way, our full capacities can be deployed to solve our problems.”
