G-5 Govs Not Asking For Too Much, Ayu Should Resign, Says CUPP

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), on Friday, said that the G-5 governors in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also known as the Integrity Group, were not demanding for too much by asking the party’s national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to resign as allegedly agreed in the case a northerner emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.

CUPP in a statement by its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, accused Ayu of escalating the crisis rocking the opposition party, lamenting that his continued stay in office was creating more disunity and if care is not taken, it might sink the party.

Ugochinyere noted speculations that members of the G-5 governors might agree to work for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, and that of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, saying that this can be put to an end if Ayu resigns.

He, therefore, advised the party’s national chairman to endeavour to tender his resignation on or before January 5, 2023.

The opposition parties also urged the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to prevail on Ayu to resign as earlier agreed, in order to bring an end to the PDP crisis.

CUPP said, “The crisis is taking a turn for the worse as the day goes by. This problem would have been solved if Ayu resigned as he promised shortly after the primary elections. It’s worrisome that our great party is going through this rough patch just because one selfish individual who’s eager to hold onto power has refused to do the right thing. Not only has Ayu refused to resign, he’s busy chasing petty revenge and going after rightly elected PDP reps and assemblies candidates just because they opposed his continued illegal stay in office.

“We urge the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to prevail on Ayu to resign as earlier agreed. This is the only way the party would reconcile any differences and forge ahead as a united and formidable force to win next year’s election.”