I'm proud of Peter Obi; count me out of G5 group

PRESS STATEMENT BY SEN. ANYIM PIUS ANYIM, GCON

RE: HOW G5 GOVERNORS, OTHER PDP LEADERS STAND ON PRESIDENTIAL CHOICE – THISDAY NEWSPAPER 17/02/2023

My attention had been drawn to a front page story in Thisday Newspaper of

17/02/2023 with the above caption. I want to state upfront that at no time

was I part of the G5 Governors and or leaders.

I am su$ciently knowledgeable about the turn of events leading to and after

the PDP Presidential primaries and have my own convictions why I should

not, in any way, be part of the G5 Governors and Leaders.

IwanttostateveryclearlythatafterthePresidentialPrimaries,Ichoseto

remain in PDP as a leader and responsible citizen of Nigeria, who should and

indeed do place Nigeria over and above my personal interest. I must confess

that this decision was reinforced by my experience from working with

President Goodluck Jonathan. It may be necessary to state that since after

the PDP Presidential Primaries, I have remained a faithful member of my

party, the PDP and have no intention whatsoever to leave my party, moreso

as one of my campaign credits during the primaries was that I have

remained in the party since 1999 even when many others had moved out

and back to the PDP many times.

On the issue of His Excellency Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential

Candidate, I am to say that I was in the PDP Presidential Primaries with Peter

Obi and others and at some point, all of us from South East met and resolved

to work together, to ensure the zoning of the presidential position to South

East and that whoever among us that got the ticket should be supported by

the others.

When the zoning failed, His Excellency Peter Obi pulled out and joined

Labour Party while I continued to the end.

To the credit of His Excellency Peter Obi, today, he has become a factor in

the political equation of 2023 presidential election. I must state here and

always that I AM PROUD OF HIS EXCELLENCY PETER OBI FOR DOING

WHAT I COULD NOT DO.

For me, His Excellency Peter Obi winning or not should not be the issue but

rather his ability to bring Labour Party from nowhere to a position of

reckoning is a huge contribution to our political development. He has broken

an age long myth and should be seen as having immeasurably become a