Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia North Senatorial District say it is the turn of the area to produce the next governor of the state in 2023.

The party chieftains at a news conference in Umuahia on Friday, said their agitation was in line with the spirit of zoning and Abia Charter of Equity.

The spokesman of the group, Eme Okoro, said that there was need for a peaceful transition of the governorship seat to Abia north “for justice, fairness and equity”.

Mr Okoro said that doing so would help “to build peace, eschew bitterness, rancour and disunity among ourselves as brothers”.

He further said that power rotation among senatorial districts had become the trend since the return of democratic governance in 1999.

Mr Okoro said that Senator Orji Kalu took the first slot for Abia North (1999 – 2007), followed by Sen. Theodore Orji for Abia Central (2007 – 2015) and Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu for Abia South from 2015.

“Going forward and as the next political dispensation approaches, we stand on the altar of justice, equity and fairness to call on our amiable governor to ensure that the peaceful rotation of power he inherited must continue seamlessly and uninterrupted.

“As we approach 2023, the governor as the last beneficiary of the Charter of Equity has the singular most important duty and responsibility to ensure that power transits peacefully to Abia North,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senate Minority Leader Eyinnaya Abaribe has been angling to replace Mr Ikpeazu come 2023. Mr Abaribe, a former deputy governor in the state, declared his intention in December to the chagrin of many proponents of rotational headship of the state government.

Mr Okoro said that the stakeholders had delivered the letter on the issue to the governor during their courtesy visit to him.

(NAN)