Posted by On Thursday, more PDP supporters urged the party’s embattled chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to step down if he truly loved the organization and desired that Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential nominee, win the 2023 general elections.
This came after a group led by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike decided not to support Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign unless Ayu resigned. At a meeting on Wednesday night held in Wike’s country home in Obio-Akpor, the Wike group decided to withdraw from Atiku’s campaign.
The organization claimed that Ayu broke his vow to quit if the party’s presidential candidate is from the North and compromised the party’s presidential primary on May 28 and 29 through his actions.
In a resolution read by Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, prominent members of the group—including party founders, governors, former ministers, and other party leaders—made their positions clear.
A former minister from the North of the nation who is now a trustee on the PDP board of directors told Daily Independent on Thursday that over 70% of the party’s leaders want Ayu to go.
He claims that Ayu is to blame for the numerous conflicts in 12 states, including Edo, Ebonyi, Lagos, Kano, Delta, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ekiti, Imo, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers, in addition to not handling the post-convention crisis in the party adequately.
If candidates like Wike, Makinde, and others decide not to run, he claimed that the PDP as the opposition party has no chance of defeating the APC.
“At this point, I believe that Ayu would do best to do the right thing by resigning. With only five days till INEC lifts its prohibition, we cannot continue this argument and impasse. Ayu doesn’t appear to have the party’s best interests at heart based on his actions and words.
Here is a man who gave a national television interview and declared that if the northern candidate for president, he would be willing to make sacrifices and step down. Even though people who paved the way for you to become chairman are pleading with you to resign now that Atiku has emerged, you have refused to do so.
Former transport minister and PDP leader Chief Ebenezer Babatope also spoke, advising Ayu to step aside till the conclusion of the general elections in 2023 and have another chairman take over in an acting capacity rather than resigning.
Ayu could be requested to take up his post again after the elections, according to Babatope, who acknowledged that the party is not now properly constituted in terms of the positions held.
I think all the speakers on this topic, especially my friend Olabode George, have made valid comments. He is speaking in favor of a well organized federation with representation for all interests.
We might ask Ayu to step aside rather than quit so as not to undermine the PDP, which has been working hard to win for a very long period.
No of how the election turns out, he returns to assume his position. That’s all I have to say.
“I have nothing against my 55-year-old friend Bode George. He wants the best for our party and fair representation for all geographic areas inside the PDP.
He is knowledgeable and concerned about maintaining Nigeria’s unity.
“If Ayu can go aside, then we can step aside our constitution to make sure that whoever takes over now would be in place till the general elections are over and then Ayu stays as national chairperson of the PDP,”
Wike declares, “I Won’t Leave PDP For Anyone.”
Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, has sworn that he will not leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for any reason or for anyone, just 24 hours after his team announced a boycott of his party’s presidential campaign.
The governor declared that he was more concerned with maintaining the party’s sanity and that he would remain to work for the establishment of harmony, inclusivity, equity, and peace inside the PDP.
At the Rivers State PDP stakeholders meeting on Thursday at Government House in Port Harcourt, Governor Wike made the announcement.
The governor claimed that, in contrast to those who can’t maintain their promises and left the Eagle Square party in Abuja in 2014, he is a man of character.
“One thing I’ve constantly warned folks is that if somebody thinks or acts in any way that suggests we’ll leave the PDP, foul. We’ll engage in combat within the group.
We are not like them when they left Eagle Square in 2014.
They’ve lost track. They left and joined APC by leaving. Is this not accurate?
They continued to argue inside the party, I wonder. They fled, while we stayed. Now that there is fighting within the group, we won’t leave. We’ll battle it together in this group.
Runaway fighters are weak individuals. No, we won’t. Therefore, everyone should be aware of the current situation. so that no one gives you any story of any type.