Stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West are divided over calls for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
The calls for Ayu’s resignation in the zone are being championed by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and a former Deputy National Chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George.
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The spokespersons of the party in the zone met in Lagos State on Saturday and distanced themselves from the calls for the resignation of Ayu.
The publicity secretaries of the PDP in Ogun, Ondo, Lagos and Ekiti states said there was no justification for such calls.
The Publicity Secretary in Ondo State, Mr Kennedy Peretei, who read their resolutions at the end of the meeting, said the leadership of the party in the five states of Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos were behind Ayu.
The communique reads in part: “Dr Iyorchia Ayu was duly elected at a properly constituted national convention with a four-year mandate and recently received a vote of confidence of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) at its 97th meeting in Abuja.
“We appeal to the leadership of our party in the South West to work together to respect the constitution of our party, because if we cannot respect our own rules, guidelines and constitution as a party, how will Nigerians trust us to respect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when voted into office?”
Also, the Lagos State PDP in a statement by its publicity secretary distanced itself from Makinde and George’s stance on Ayu, saying at no time was a meeting of the South West stakeholders held to demand Ayu’s removal.
A member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) from the South West who spoke with our correspondent in confidence yesterday, said calling for Ayu’s resignation was a “distraction”.
Similarly, some former members of the National Assembly from the South West on the banner of PDP have said that Ayu should be allowed to discharge the functions of his office and lead the party to victory in the 2023 polls without distractions.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday by the interim coordinator of the former lawmakers, Hon Yemi Arokodare.
They urged all party stakeholders across the region to shelve personal interests and work for the success of the party in the 2023 general elections.
A chieftain of the PDP in Kano State, Muhammadu Abdullahi Sugar has appealed to Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike to embrace peace and work for the party’s victory in the 2023 general election.
Speaking at the weekend, Sugar said, “No doubt Wike has proved to be a progressive politician judging from his set records in his state, but what is expected of every well-meaning Nigerian is to put aside all personal differences and face what will bring back the nation’s lost glory.”
By Abdullateef Aliyu (Lagos), Itodo Daniel Sule (Abuja) & Ibrahim Musa Giginyu (Kano)
