2023: Why G5 governors are against Atiku, Ayu

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said the five aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors are against the party leadership to protect national interests.

Naija News reports that Makinde, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Samuel Ortom of Benue refused to back the presidential ambition of the party’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar.

The five aggrieved governors have demanded the resignation or removal of the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for supporting Atiku’s campaign.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Makinde said beyond personal ambitions, the aggrieved governors are fighting against injustice and violation of the party’s constitution.

The governor asserted that party members cannot keep picking and choosing what parts of the party’s constitution they are going to obey and disregard.

He said: “If I will tell you precisely what is going on, the unity of this country is at stake. When they said, ‘Rotate. Let there be inclusivity. Get zone party positions – rotate it,’ it’s because we know that our federalism has not taken serious root.

“So, to compensate for some of the things that we don’t have constitutionally right now, we said, ‘Rotate the positions, do zoning.’ Now, we’ve disregarded that.

“The National Chairman himself was the one that made that comment that peradventure somebody from the northern part of the country emerges as the presidential candidate, he will resign.

“But now you are saying the constitution must be followed. This is the constitution we’ve flagrantly disregarded in the first instance.”

Makinde said the principles by which he and other G5 members are standing will go down in history.

He added: “The Integrity Governors are not in this to say, ‘We’re trying to prove that we’re right or wrong.’

“We’re standing on a principle and if you stand on a principle, whether you’re right or you’re wrong, may thou be left for posterity because all of this will come and go.

“In another four weeks, the election will have been won and lost, and then we’ll be faced with the judgement of posterity.”

Governor Makinde also commended the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northern Governors who expressed support for a Southern Presidency.

He said: “I must give kudos to the governors on the platform of APC – governors like Governor Nasir El-Rufai [of Kaduna], Governor [Mohammed Abubakar] of Jigawa, Mai Bala Buni [of Yobe], Governor [Yahaya Bello] of Kogi.

“They came together within their party and they said, ‘For the unity of this country, let us sacrifice our ambition. Let the presidency rotate to the South.’ So, we must give kudos to them.

“But what happened in our own party? We were fighting ourselves and saying, ‘Our constitution can go to blazes.’ I don’t think that is right.”