The spokesman of the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Ogbonna Nwuke, has advised the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, to quickly reconcile with the G-5 governors.
Recall that the five aggrieved governors of the PDP kown as G5 have been absent from the campaign rallies of Atiku and are demanding the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
The demand for Ayu’s resignation is on the grounds that the party’s presidential candidate and national chairman cannot be from the same region.
The five governors are Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Samuel Ortom of Benue, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia States.
In a chat with Vanguard on Thursday, Nwuke said what happened to the PDP in the 2015 presidential election would repeat itself in 2022 if Atiku fails to reconcile with the G-5 governors.
The PDP chieftain added that the leadership of the opposition party appears to be trying to frustrate Atiku’s campaign ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He said: “The issues are clear. PDP appears to be trying to frustrate Atiku’s campaign. The G-5 has gone beyond opposition to the northern candidate by saying okay, you won the presidential primary and have the right to choose your running mate. Nobody is quarrelling with that, but in the interest of fairness, equity, justice, and balance of power, they are saying it is wrong for the North to hold on to the presidential candidate and chairmanship of the party.
“What will the South be voting for when chairmanship is in the North, the presidency is in the North, and spokespersons are largely from the North? This is something that must be addressed going forward. If a man makes a promise and doesn’t keep it, will he keep it after the election has been fought and won?
“Ayu has said he was elected for four years and would not give up, running counter to what the Atiku group is even promising that after elections they would address the matter. We ask if we’re talking about delivering Atiku, is it Ayu who will deliver him in Benue or is it Governor Samuel Ortom? Has Ayu what it takes to deliver a presidential candidate?
We leave the posers to the Atiku group because there is this feeling that some people are born to rule. Now it is time to tell them that some people were also born to resist. And we are resisting reasonably within the party. G-5 governors are saying their doors remain open to negotiations, they have never closed the doors.”
