Crisis: Nnamani criticises PDP for 'ignoring' southern governors

Enugu East senator, Chimaroke Nnamani, has condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership for ignoring five of its governors as it commenced presidential campaigns for the 2023 elections.

He said it is discouraging and sheer arrogance on the part of the party leadership to ignore a critical group of five sitting governors.

Mr Nnamani made this known in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.

The governors he referred to are Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.

Although all the governors were appointed into the party’s Presidential Campaign Council, they snubbed the council’s inauguration in Abuja in September and were not in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital where the party officially kicked off its campaign on Monday.

They have been at the forefront of calls for a ‘balance’ in the ‘lopsidedness’ in the party and a proper representation of the south in the party’s leadership structure.

Mr Nnamani noted how the governors and their supporters were absent at the rally in Akwa Ibom State.

He said the party leadership should have done more in a give-and-take manner to carry the aggrieved party members along.

“The Governors are our leaders and their humiliation rubs off on all of us,” he said.

“Politics is local and people from these affected states parading with the PDP leadership will not deliver their polling booths without the governors.

“They can drag themselves from their home states to Abuja. Some are Abuja permanent residents. They dress the meetings and colour the rallies, but that is what it is, political colour dressing,” he said.

The lawmaker, a former governor of Enugu State, is one of many aggrieved members of the party who have called on its leadership to carry all members along particularly the aggrieved ones.

Mr Nnamani has, however, come under criticism lately for what many have called anti-party activities.

This began after he was named a member of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) even though he is a PDP member.

Although he kept mum and did not reject it, the APC said the appointment was intentional and his knowledge will be profitable to the party.

His latest comment comes barely 24 hours after he told Nigerians that the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, is hale and hearty and condemned those who speak against the latter.