THE Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Lee Maeba, has assured that the G5 governors will “very soon” reunite with the party.
The G5 governors, comprising Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) have been engaged in a face-off with the PDP national leadership since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.
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Led by Wike, the G5 governors have refused to campaign for Atiku, and they are demanding the resignation of national chairman Iyorchia Ayu.
Maeba said the governors will soon reconcile with the party while speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, December 14.
However, he added that the G5 governors’ demand for Ayu’s resignation, as well as the zoning of the position of PDP national chairman to the South, would not be possible.
“Atiku is a candidate, and as a candidate of the party, there is nowhere within the Constitution of the party where a candidate of the party would ask the chairman to resign. And if anything happens to Ayu, Deputy National Chairman, North, Umar Damagum, will automatically become the party’s chairman.
“I do not see any condition to ask Ayu and Damagum to resign immediately. Everybody involved has a stake in this party.
“Governor Ikpeazu, Governor Ugwuanyi and Governor Ortom are all senatorial candidates of this party. Governor Makinde of Oyo State as well is contesting for his second term as a governor. All of us are friends,” Maeba said.
Maeba, a former senator from Rivers State, added that Wike will not leave the PDP.
“He (Wike) has a legacy; he has a gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State. I’m convinced that Governor Wike knows the truth and the truth is the PDP should continue to rule Rivers State. What is the whole reason for supporting PDP since 1999? I’m sure Governor Wike knows the truth and the truth is to continue his legacy.
“It is always better to share one per cent of something real than to share 100 per cent of imaginary things.
“To take the Chairman back to the South requires a mini-convention and after that, we commence another rigorous process which will take our time and we have a few days to election,” he said.
Maeba further stressed that the committee on zoning, led by Ortom, should be blamed for giving opportunity to the North to contest the presidential primary election, knowing that the chairman is from the North.
“The Ortom committee was the one that actually made everything open and nobody should be blamed.”
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