Five Nigerian state governors announced Monday their official defection to the opposition party, after they had informed Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan of their decision to break with the ruling party.

The five governors, who defected to the main opposition All Progressive Congress (APC), resolved to dump Jonathan's ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for good, said Aliyu Wamakko, one of the five governors and governor of northern Sokoto State.

Wamakko announced their position after a seven-hour meeting between Jonathan and some governors.

Wamakko said he attended the meeting following a presidential invitation extended to him and his colleagues.

He said that the meeting afforded him the opportunity to brief Jonathan that the five governors were no longer in the PDP because they moved to another party.

"The meeting went on very well because some of us came here as governors to discuss PDP matters and our position has been known," Wamakko told reporters.

"But, as a president of this country, if he calls us, we will come and listen to him and respect him as a leader of our country. Otherwise what we had there was mainly a PDP affair," he added.

The other four governors who joined the APC are Chibuike Amaechi from Rivers State, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State and Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State.

A total of seven governors broke with the PDP in August, with five of them announcing their defection to the APC late November.

Two governors, Babangida Aliyu from Niger State and Sule Lamido from Jigawa State, said they were still in the PDP.

The APC party was formally formed on Feb. 6 this year. It aims to beat the PDP in the next general elections, slated for April 2015.