“For a National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to go and embrace Sokoto Governor, Aminu Tanbuwal, calling him the hero of the convention meant that there was a private arrangement that was done with Tambuwal to shortchange other contestants including Governor Wike … Here was a referee, who helped one of his sides to score a goal and then blew the whistle.”
By Emma Ogbuehi
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Wednesday despite frantic efforts by some leaders of the party to calm frayed nerves.
As reconciliation moves continued over the weekend with the party insisting there was no crisis but differences which the leadership claims is normal in any human organization, the opposition group within the party lead by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, pulled out of the campaign Council of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Rising from their consequential meeting at the country home of Wike in Obio-Akpor on Wednesday morning, members of the team vowed not to participate in Atiku’s campaign activities pending the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
The members of the party sympathetic to Wike insisted that there would be no deal with Atiku until Ayu vacated his office to allow an acting Chairman from the South lead the campaign of Atiku.
The aggrieved party stalwarts comprising founding members of the party, Governors, former Ministers and other leaders of the party made their position known in a resolution read by a former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George.
They maintained that their position was not negotiable as the chairmanship of Ayu undermined the unity and constitution of the party.
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Reading the resolution, George said: “Senator Iyorchia Ayu must resign as the National Chairman of the party for an acting Chairman of Southern Nigeria extraction to emerge and lead the party on the national campaign.
“Consequently, we resolve not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu”.
They further accused Ayu of compromising the May 28 and 29 presidential primary of the party through his conduct.
A former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah Jang, likened Ayu to a bad referee, who assisted one side to score a goal during a football match and later blew the whistle.
Jang said: “For a National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to go and embrace Sokoto Governor, Aminu Tanbuwal, calling him the hero of the convention meant that there was a private arrangement that was done with Tambuwal to shortchange other contestants including Governor Wike.
“Here was a referee, who helped one of his sides to score a goal and then blew the whistle. This is not what we formed the PDP to do for Nigerians. Therefore, we unequivocally ask that Ayu must step down”.
They said their support for Wike was neither because he lost the presidential primary nor because he was not chosen as the Vice-presidential running mate but because of equity and justice in the party.
A former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, said if the party intended to restructure Nigeria it should have the courage to restructure itself.
“You cannot build on a faulty foundation. This call for the chairman to step down or resign is not because any of us is aggrieved but because we believe it is important to ensure a just, fair, principled and constitutional structure for the party. If we want to restructure Nigeria, we should have the courage to restructure our party”.
Oyo Governor, Seyi Makinde, said: “We hope that the powers that be listen to the voice of reason and do the needful”.