Okowa says Atiku will soon meet Wike, alies; “As soon as the right thing is done, PDP will win the elections”_ G5 Governors

Members of the now famous G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aka Integrity Group have insisted on standing on their grounds and pushing for justice and equity within the party despite calls for them to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign.

They insisted that “As soon as the right thing is done, the PDP will win the elections next year.”

The governors insisted that the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu should step down from his office.

The stance of the governors who now prefer to be called Integrity Group was disclosed by the Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, at a gala nite organized by the state government in honour of the G-5 members including its leader, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Seyi Makinde, Oyo, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State who was in the state for the flag off of the PDP Campaign.

The governors are insisting that the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu step down from his position, seeing that he is from the same northern part of the country as the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Ikpeazu said the group was not pursuing their individual comfort but was determined to lay a solid foundation for the unborn generation.

“The G5 PDP Governors are standing on a strong moral pedestal and we are doing everything to put away impunity and highhandedness in the PDP,” he said.

“We will continue to push for justice and equity in the PDP. Nigeria is in dire straits and hanging on a balance. If the G5 PDP Governors fail to put their feet forward, the situation would spell doom for the country.

“We are not pursuing our individual comfort but we are determined to lay a solid foundation for the unborn generation. The G5 PDP Governors are determined to stand for the truth. As soon as the right thing is done, the PDP will win the election next year.”

Meanwhile, Ifeanyi Okowa, the party’s vice presidential candidate has hinted that Atiku Abubakar will soon meet with the G-5 Governors to put an end to the contending issues.

In a post on his social media handles after the meeting, Okowa, who is also the PDP vice-presidential candidate, said the governors will work towards reconciling all “key leaders” in the party ahead of the 2023 elections.

He also debunked claims reported in some mainstream and online media that the party had resolved to dump the G-5 Integrity Group led by Governor Nyesom Wike and forge ahead in the 2023 presidential election.

Okowa said: “The claim that the party will dump the G-5 Governors is definitely not true. They are part of our family and I believe there are issues and these issues are being attended to. Very soon the presidential candidate will meet the governors. They are part of the family and we are not going to allow them to go. Obviously, there are many things being put in place to reconcile all sides and move together as one.”

Okowa, who made this known on Wednesday evening in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, after a meeting of the South-South Governors Forum, said the PDP will not allow the G-5 Governors to leave the party and that the unresolved issues will soon be resolved.

Present at the meeting were Okowa, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, and the host governor, Senator Douye Diri.

However, the Rivers State Governor, Wike, who is the leader of the G-5 Governors, was conspicuously absent.

Earlier, Governor Obaseki told journalists that the visit of the governors was to empathise with their Bayelsa State counterpart, Diri, on the recent flood disaster in the state.

Obaseki also said that the meeting was to find out from the vice-presidential candidate of the party, Okowa about the ongoing presidential campaigns and restate their total support for him and Atiku.

He said, “We are here to assure them that we are with them and to give them all the supports needed which may also include reaching out to our other brothers in the zone in order to resolve any differences that we have so as to move into the next year election as one strong united zone and party.”

In his speech, Diri commended the South-South Governors for displaying a high sense of unity and togetherness during crises such as the recent flood disaster that ravaged the state.

On the PDP issue, Diri said the South-South Governors are united despite the noticeable dispute. He, however, assured the public that the dispute will be resolved soon.

He said, “We are one. In a family, there are always disputes. But the dispute will not separate us. We will resolve those disputes and continue to put on as one. South-South is a PDP region and South-South is a place no other party can contend. I assure you that the PDP will triumph at all levels in the next elections.”