PDP primary: Crisis brews as stakeholders demand chair, secretary’s resignation
Barely a week after its presidential convention, a fresh crisis may be brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party as its stakeholders under the aegis of Concerned PDP League, demanded the resignation of the National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu; Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature.
The organisation also known as ‘PDP Watchdog’ accused Ayu and some members of the National Working Committee of allegedly selling the party’s tickets to highest bidders and manipulation of delegate list used for the party’s presidential convention.
The League warned that failure to tender their resignation letters on or before June 20, 2022, would attract massive protest at the party’s national secretariat.
The demand came barely 24 hours after elder statesman and leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, demanded that Ayu was no longer fit and proper to retain his position as the national chairman of the PDP.
Clark had alleged that Ayu showed partiality in the processes leading to the “baffling conclusion of the PDP presidential primary.”
The leader of Concerned PDP League, Daboikiabo Warmate, said Ayu and his team had allegedly been immersed in one scandal or the other to the detriment of the party since coming on board six months ago.
When contacted by The PUNCH, Simon Imobo-Tswam, the Special Assistant on Media to Iyorchia Ayu, said, “No comment.”
While describing the Ayu led NWC as the darkest part of the history of the party, Warmate warned that “with them in the helm of affairs of the PDP, the party will most likely lose the 2023 general election.”
He alleged that many unpopular decisions, actions and inactions of the national chairman had led to the emergence of some unpopular candidates, decamping of some party members and crisis in some state chapters of the PDP.
He said, “Since the coming on board of the Ayu-led NWC, some of the NWC has been immerse in one scandal or the other to the detriment of the PDP. It is quite discouraging, distressing, nauseating and shameful to watch, listen and read on various media and conversational platforms in almost every week of the month.
“The allegations which range from giving ticket to the highest bidders to subsisting expulsion that may cost the PDP exclusion from the 2023 polls, to hijacking of Ward and Local Government Congress Committee (assignment) list; manipulation of national & state delegate list, using non party members for the PDP official assignment and unjustly disqualifying qualified aspirants and clearing aspirants with questionable certificates and loyalty, for example Mr. T. P. Williams of the FCT Senatorial race, Comrade Ikenga Imo Ugochenyire in the ideato North and South federal constituency race in Imo state and Rt. Hon. (Chief) Sherif Oborevwori in the Delta state gubernatorial race, et al.”
This, he said, had presented the PDP to Nigerians as a party that could not involve and invoke it’s political principle and morality.
Warmate also maintained that following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections, both the National chairman and party’s flag bearer could not come from the same region.
He said, “And also the North-East (Adamawa State) has produce the presidential candidate and flag bearer in the person of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, while the North-Central (Benue and Nasarawa states) are still occupying the position of the National Chairman and Board of Trustees Chairman in the persons of Ayu and Sen. Walid Jibril respectively.
“This is inconsistent with section 7, subsection 3 (c) and section 46 subsection 3 of our great party constitution as amended 2017. It’s politically unethical and immoral.
“Therefore, we call on the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Organising Secretary to without any further delay, tender their resignation letters and hand over every party document and other items to their deputies as provided by our party constitution as amended 2017.
“As for the National Chairman he should handover to the National Deputy Chairman South. This is in keeping with the established internal policies of the party and constitution.” Punch
