According to the governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the group of five governors (G-5) headed by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike are agitating for inclusivity, justice, and equality by refusing to support PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.
The G-5 governors—Ikpeazu, Wike, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State—had withdrawn from Atiku’s campaign in protest of Iyorchia Ayu, the PDP National Chairman, and demanded that he step down or be replaced.
Ikpeazu said their agitation is not just about the 2023 elections but also about attempts to develop reciprocal trust and justice in all areas of the nation while speaking during a local TV interview in Aba, Abia State.
The Governor asserted that the Integrity Group’s protests also touch on honesty and following through on commitments, both of which he claimed were absent in the nation’s current political system.
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Ikpeazu added that the G-5 Governors stand ready to defend citizens in the North, South, and other groups thought to be subjected to discrimination in the country’s power struggle.
“There is an issue, an issue of integrity, an issue of keeping our word, an issue of ensuring that if we say after me, it’s you, and when that time comes, it happens.”
“It will stabilize us as a country, engender social mobilization sufficient to tackle our security problems, tackle the economic problems, tackle other problems that confront us in this country.
“Social mobilization is the most critical ingredient today beyond anything, inclusiveness, integrity, mutual respect, trust.
“So 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.”
