Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia State, says he predicted the the Peter Obi effec and its implication to his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the recently concluded general elections.
Obi, former Anambra State governor, defected to the Labour Party shortly before the PDP presidential primary which was won by Atiku Abubakar.
“That Peter Obi effect, I predicted it and told my party. I even volunteered that reasonable politicians should not ignore what Peter Obi was doing,” he said.
The governor said he never personally campaigned against the former Anambra State governor as all he wanted was a president from the southern region of the country.
On Peter Obi’s effect after the election, Ikpeazu said, “What would happen going forward will be determined by how Peter Obi manages the groundswell of support that he had gathered. How is he going to funnel this towards an agenda that can eventually materialise in his dream?”
The Abia governor was one of the five PDP governor known as the G5 who did not support the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar. Ikpeazu said he doesn’t regret being part of the group.
Ikpeazu said, “I think that (being part of G5) is one of the most brilliant decisions I have taken as a politician.”
The incumbent’s preferred candidate, Ahiwe, lost the Abia governorship election while Ikpeazu himself also lost his bid to represent Abia North Senatorial District in the National Assembly to the incumbent Senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
However, he said if losing those elections are the sacrifice for his principled position for presidency to return to the South, he was okay with it.
