PDP mulls sanctioning G5 after months of wrangling
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike and his fellows in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) G5 may be up for sanction after the election, according to feelers from the party top brass.
The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) reportedly plans to deal with alleged anti-party activities of the G5 after the ballot in order not to be distracted from the presidential election which it sees as a huge task.
The G5, also known as the Integrity Group, is a faction of the PDP which does not support Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ticket because he backs Iyorchia Ayu to remain as National Chairman against the party’s constitution.
Other members of the G5 are Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Seyi Makinde (Oyo).
The Governors have pitched their tents with their preferred presidential candidates.
Wike and Makinde are reportedly working for All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, Ortom has publicly endorsed Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, but Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi are reportedly torn between Atiku and Obi.
The PUNCH reports that Ayu is expected to wield the big stick after the polls to demonstrate the supremacy of the party in line with the PDP constitution.
A member of the PDP NWC and former Governor in the North West told the newspaper the action of the Governors infuriated party stakeholders across the board and failure to sanction them would raise a lot of questions from loyal party members.
“We watched every day how these leaders ridiculed the party. Nobody said they had no reasons to be aggrieved, but we generally agreed that there were other ways to speak on the issues than the way they did,” he said.
“When the elders (Board of Trustees) intervened, we all thought the crisis was over, but it only got worse. We expect some sanctions, although the leadership of the party will set in motion what to do with them.
“At the NEC [National Executive Council], it was nothing short of a disgrace to wake up to see Governors dancing not in solidarity with their party, but with rival parties to cast aspersions on the same PDP that catapulted them to national prominence.
“It’s a good thing that Ayu is focused on the elections, but we would like to see what happens after that.”
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Sanction not if, but when
The PUNCH adds PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi did not confirm or deny the plan, saying, “We will wait until it is confirmed.”
The biggest indication of what lies ahead for the G5 came from PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor who insisted sanction “is not a question of if but when.”
He added: “How else could they have worked against the party than they have already? If they didn’t know that there would be sanctions, they wouldn’t be running to their states’ High Courts to procure ex-parte orders, but they are merely buying time.
“They know that they have erred, and the full wrath of the law will fall upon them. It’s not a matter of if, but when.
“When the dust of elections is over, the party will revisit the issue. The party is supreme. Head or tail, their issue will be treated.”