The Chancellor of Gregory University and a 2023 governorship aspirant in Abia State, Prof Greg Ibe, has formally announced his exit from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stating that he left the PDP to protest against its zoning formula, which he described as controversial.
Prof Ibe who had declared to run for the Abia governorship seat in the forth coming election under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, said he has resigned his membership from the PDP to join the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), where he hoped to pursue his ambition, expressing confidence that Abia electorates would continue to support him, even in APGA, considering his philanthropic and humanitarian gestures that have touched the lives of the people across the state.
Prof Greg Ibe
Briefing Newsmen at his Uturu country home, Ibe stated that he decided to exit the PDP to protest against its’controversial’ zoning formula.
He described the decision to exit the PDP as a very painful one, considering the strategic role he played in funding and nurturing the party to becoming a dominant one since the inception of democratic government in Abia.
Ibe stated that he had expected the party to appreciate and reciprocate his huge investment through financial assistance and donation of equipments, mobility, to support health and educational programmes of the PDP led administrations in the state,as well as the activities of the party.
He further stated that his resolve to leave the party and look elsewhere to realise his ambition became inevitable, because he saw that the PDP did not want his immense experience, contact and pedigree.
“This became obvious in the last few weeks where PDP had repudiated the agreement of the Abia founding Fathers, for power shift to Abia North senatorial district come 2023, insisting that the Governorship seat be zoned to Abia Central and Abia North senatorial districts.
Recall that Prof Ibe’s desire to run for the party’s ticket was predicated on an alleged agreement by the party elders that the governorship slot would be zoned to his Abia North Senatorial District.
However, the party later zoned the slot to both Abia Central and North Senatorial Districts for the 2023 general elections.
Prof Ibe who was also in the governorship race in 2015, said in 2015,the elders of the party prevailed on him to drop his ambition so that power would move to Abia South Senatorial District for fairness and equity to reign.
He added that it was also agreed that power would return to Abia North in 2023, in line with the dictates of the Abia Charter of Equity and rotational arrangement.
The Governorship Aspirant disclosed that “Meetings of the party leaders reinforced the agreement during the campaign for the re-election of Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu in 2019.
“The aftermath of these meetings led me and my people in Abia North to mobilize men and materials to ensure Ikpeazu’s re-election against all odds in 2015,” Ibe said.
Ibe stated that while other political positions in the party’s State Working Committee were rotated among the senatorial districts, that of the governor was shrouded in controversy.
The governorship Aspirant, however, alleged that the current zoning formula of the PDP was designed to allow for the emergence of an “Annointed Candidate” and as well, deny Abia North the right to produce the next governor.
He, therefore, charged the political class to rise against the “retrogressive style of foisting candidates on the people”.
According to him, the time had come for the state to evolve a leadership recruitment process that encourages the emergence of the best and most competent people for the office of the governor.
He revealed that he would soon embark on consultations within the party to convince the members about his readiness to champion the cause of the party to achieve electoral victory in 2023, appealing to Abia residents to work toward a rancour-free electioneering.
Meanwhile,Prof Ibe promised to leverage his vast experience and exposure to transform the state, if given the mandate, assuring that his involvement in partisan politics and governorship race would not in any way jeopardise the fortunes and sustenance of the university.
