Seyi Makinde, Oyo State state, has asserted that the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is detrimental to the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria.
Makinde made the assertion during an interview on Channels TV on Friday.
The Oyo governor said the yearnings of the G5 or Integrity Group – five aggrieved PDP governors who are rallying against the “unjust” party leadership – were about protecting national interests.
The five governors, who have been at loggerheads with the PDP’s leadership for months on end, are demanding, among other things, for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
“If I will tell you precisely what is going on, the unity of this country is at stake. When they said, ‘Rotate. Let there be inclusivity. Get zone party positions – rotate it,’ it’s because we know that our federalism has not taken serious root.
“So, to compensate for some of the things that we don’t have constitutionally right now, we said, ‘Rotate the positions, do zoning.’ Now, we’ve disregarded that,” he said.
According to Makinde, party members cannot keep picking and choosing what parts of the constitution they are going to obey and disregard.
“The National Chairman himself was the one that made that comment that peradventure somebody from the northern part of the country emerges as the presidential candidate, he will resign.
“But now you are saying the constitution must be followed. This is the constitution we’ve flagrantly disregarded in the first instance.”
The governor called to question the recent dissolution of the PDP’s State Working Committee in Ekiti State.
“They said almost six months ago that ‘this is too close to an election to start asking the national chairman to resign.’
“But less than how many days ago, they dissolved the entire exco in Ekiti State. So, that dissolution is not too close to an election?” he asked.