A Media manager and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart in Enugu state, Mr. Emmanuel Ikechukwu Jonathan, has called on the members of the party’s integrity group, also known as G-5 Governors to support the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba Ahmed, in the February 25, 2023 election.

Jonathan also called on the former Governor of Enugu state, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani to return his support to a southern Nigeria president in the person of Obi, noting that PDP has lost legitimacy and the morality to punish any member of the party over alleged anti-party activities.

Jonathan maintained that the party leadership is in breach of Section 7 subsection 3c (Aims and Objectives) of the constitution (as amended in 2017) which states that the party shall pursue its aims and objectives by adhering to the policy of the rotation and zoning of Party and Public elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness.

He stated that If indeed the G5 Governors and Senator Chimaroke Nnamani were fighting the injustice and political maneuvering against them at the PDP presidential primary election, they should channel their support to Peter Obi of the Labour Party who is actually from the southeast zone, whose turn it should be to produce the occupant of Nigeria’s presidential seat.

Jonathan said: “Anything short of supporting Peter Obi’s presidential ambition by the G5 Governors and Senator Chimaroke Nnamani is an act of personal interest and not a peopled based interest which is not good for them as leaders. This is also because the Southwest and South-South have on different occasions produced the occupants of Nigeria’s presidential seat in the persons of General Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan since the return of democracy in 1999.

“Considering to support Senator Bola Tinubu by Sen. Nnamani is not in defense of justice but his personal interest. The G5 Governors and Senator Chimaroke Nnamani should read the body language of Nigerians to understand what the people want now, and the sentiment of the people across the country is to vote for someone with sound health and capacity to change Nigeria for the better bearing in mind the level of suffering in the country at the moment. Nigerians now want to vote for someone who will entrench good leadership and enhance peaceful cohesion, equity, justice, and fairness. Peter Obi encompasses all these qualities.”

Jonathan said, “the NWC must act according to the dictates of the constitution of the party (2017 as amended) for it to be obeyed.

“Therefore, based on the dictates of section 7 subsection 3c of the PDP constitution 2017 as amended, it is obvious that the flagbearer of the party in the 2023 presidential election is supposed to come from the Southern part of Nigeria with a special focus on the South East zone, considering the fact that a Northerner from North West is currently occupying the seat of the presidency.

“This is why I personally decided to back the presidential ambition of Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate, Sen. Yousuf Datti-Baba Ahmed of the Labour Party, despite being a PDP member, as a protest to the injustice meted against the Southeast zone and the non-adherence of the dictates of the PDP Constitution 2017 on rotation and zoning of Party and Public elective offices.

“To further strengthen my position, I wholeheartedly accepted my nomination to be the Director General of the ObiDatti Apostles Presidential Campaign Support Group, whose objective among others is to preach the message of hope that the Obi-Datti presidency will bring to the table and also get Nigerians to be prepared to vote for the Obi-Datti team,” he explained.

The Governor’s aide further said that the recent suspension of the Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani and other PDP stalwarts, by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, led by Senator Iyorcha Ayu, over allegations of anti-party activities, would not stand because they (NWC) also violated the PDP constitution 2017 as amended by allowing a northerner to fly the Presidential flag of the party.

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