Ayu: BoT sets up c’ttee to interface with Atiku, Wike factions

OBIORA IFOH, Abuja

 

The call for the resignation of Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party by the Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike’s men reechoed on Wednesday at the meeting of the Board of Trustees.

 

The meeting which was held at the NEC hall at the National secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja was also boycotted by pro-Wike camp.

 

Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi who briefed journalists shortly after the meeting said there was urgent need to set up a reconciliation meeting with Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

 

“We discussed the crisis between our presidential candidate and Governor Nyesom Wike. In getting it resolved, we set up a committee of the Whole to urgently interface with the two of them.

 

“We have set up in this meeting, committee of the BoT to be able to interface between warring factions, particularly the acrimony that is taking place between the presidential candidate and governor Wike and any other conflict that is taking place in the nation within our party formation.

 

“The committee is the committee of the Whole, that means every other BoT member is a member of the committee. I cannot tell you the grievances and the time frame.

 

“On Ayu stepping down, we have not even discussed any issue of anybody stepping down. We discussed what we discussed, and what we discussed is what I told you.”

 

However, a member of the BoT who spoke to our reporter on the condition of anonymity said there was a little disagreement on the way forward in handling the Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike crisis, and especially the call by Wike’s men for Iyorchia Ayu to step aside.

 

“See,  my dear brother, we need to handle this whole issues with care, otherwise we are toying with 2023 elections. We need to tell ourselves the truth. Presidential candidate, North, BoT Chairman, North and National Chairman of the party, North. We should face the reality.

 

“Now, the above issues were raised, some are saying Wike is just one man, they forgot that he is a governor of a state, a powerful one for that matter. Based on some of these submissions, a committee of a Whole was set up to interface with the warring factions.”

 

A source told our correspondent that a select members of BoT will Wednesday night hold a private meeting with PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over the lingering crisis.

 

According to the source, Atiku will be persuaded to listen to Wike faction’s demand that Ayu must resign for a place for a Southern national chairman.

 

Meanwhile, The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP national headquarters on Wednesday rocked with protests by group from Delta State demanding the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu from office.

 

The group lead by Chris Anthony is demanding that the National Working Committee led by Senator Ayu upload the name of David Edevbie to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as the authentic governorship candidate of Delta state.

 

Daily Champion reports that the camp of Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa had produced Sheriff Oborevwori while the pro-James Ibori camp produced  David Edevbie as the governorship candidate.

 

However, leading a crowd of protesters who displayed anti-Ayu banners, the spokesperson, Chris Anthony said “We expect the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the watch of Ayu to comply with the judgement that has been passed by justice Taiwo Taiwo on the 7th of July.

 

“They are playing games with the judgement. The party is supposed to forward the name of the winner of that election based on the court order to INEC but they have deliberately refused to do that because they are working in connivance with the Delta state governor, Okowa as an individual.

 

“They have refused to comply with the court order. Funny enough, INEC officially wrote to the PDP through their legal adviser that they have received a judgement of this nature and that they (INEC) will do the needful by complying and they also expect the PDP to do same but the PDP up to this moment has deliberately decided to abandon what the court had said.

 

“We are all shouting: ‘we want to lead Nigeria’, if you cannot organise your house properly, how do you expect to address the Nigerian problem. If you simply cannot address the minor problem in Delta, then how do Nigerians trust the PDP to tackle the challenges facing the Nigerian nation in a larger scale.

 

“We are calling on the leadership of the PDP to do the needful; obey the court order, recognise David… as the governorship candidate of the PDP as the court has so declared.

 

“The implication of the action of the PDP action on the Delta issue is that they are trying to throw up the fortunes of the PDP in Delta. Everybody knows that the PDP in Delta state is the majority party and there is no other political party in Delta state apart from the PDP. But with the action of the national chairman of party, we are beginning to be convinced of what people have been saying that Ayu is a mole in the PDP to throw up Delta state PDP to the opposition. We see Ayu as a mole in the PDP. He is playing the script of the APC just to actualise the emergence of APC governor in Delta.

 

“He lacks the capacity to lead the PDP and so he should honourably resign. He has demonstrated gross incompetence in handling the affairs of the party. He should resign. Ayu should resign. He does not have the capacity to manage the affairs of the PDP.”

 

 

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