The Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu says he has no plans of quitting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said this amid the controversy surrounding his recent association with the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who is at the centre of the crisis rocking the PDP.
Recall that Ikpeazu was with Wike alongside Governors Seyi Makinde and Samuel Ortom of Oyo and Benue States respectively during recent meetings with some presidential candidates in Paris, France, and London, United Kingdom.
He said his major concern was to ensure that the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar include the South East in the scheme of things within the party.
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“Forget all talks of leaving the PDP. I am not leaving the PDP and I don’t think other governors are planning to do so.
“But the point is that the Southeast was denied tickets of the presidency in both the PDP and APC.
“That leaves us unsure of where we are going, what roles we will play after the 2023 elections. That is my concern.
“That is what I am fighting for. Our votes are for the PDP if we receive assurances of our position in 2023 from the PDP, where I belong in the first place.
“It is not about playing hard with the PDP. It is about knowing what we will be given after the elections. These are things we need to sort out early before we commit to anybody. It is not enough for us to vote for the party. It is about where we are going to be positioned after the election.
“You don’t run blind in politics. Yes, truly, we are not happy with the outcome of the primaries, but that does not mean I am planning to leave the PDP. That does not mean my faith is shaken in the party. But it is about working things out properly. That is my personal concern.
“The Southeast cannot continue to be treated as an outsider in the politics of the country. If we don’t have the presidency and the vice presidency, we are asking for something better, something good for the zone.
“We can’t just vote or deliver our state for the fun of it. We must be sure of why we are voting,” Ikpeazu told Sun.