The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; has said the party would follow its constitution to decide the fate of its national chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
Abubakar made this known while responding to a poser by Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde at the South-west PDP stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan, the state capital.
At the meeting, Governor Makinde, insisted Ayu must go if the party must be seeing to be fair and just in its dealing with members.
Makinde, alongside Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike, Benue state Governor Samuel Ortom and their Abia counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu, had consistently called for the removal of Ayu from office as the national party chairman.
They contended that it was unfair to have the party’s presidential candidate, national chairman and the chairman Board of Trustees (BoT) all from one zone.
Although, Senator Walid Jibrin resigned recently as the BoT chair, the Wike group still insisted the body was only advisory in nature.
Atiku
Addressing the stakeholders’ meeting Wednesday in Ibadan, Alhaji Atiku said: “The People’s Democratic Party is the oldest political party in Nigeria since the return of democracy and even before then. It is a party that has laid down rules and regulations.”
“I have been a member of the party since when it was formed and I am still a member of the party up to the point of what it has grown to become,” he stated.
The former vice president said “as things stand today, no single individual has the power to tamper with the NWC of the party,” saying “doing so will be illegal and it will be against our rules in the party.
“Nigerians will not trust us to govern by the tenets of rule of law if we take such arbitrary action against our party.”
Governor Makinde’s demand “is achievable,” but that there is the need for stakeholders and members of the party to abide by the party’s constitution.
“What Governor Seyi Makinde is calling for is achievable; we shall abide by the party’s constitution. We cannot go outside the party constitution. All views must go through PDP rules, and constitution,” he said.
Speaking further, the PDP presidential candidate said the major concern of the party should be how to win the 2023 elections, noting, “what is before us is how do we win the 2023 general elections.”
The former VP said it’s possible for PDP to take over the South West states in the 2023 elections, adding,”the era of writing election results is over. The new Electoral Act has made rigging of elections impossible.”
Makinde’s position
Earlier, Governor Makinde said the only way out of the crisis rocking the PDP is for its national chairman to quit office, pointing out that “PDP must restructure itself before it will restructure Nigeria.”
The governor welcomed Atiku whom he described as “the incoming President of Nigeria in 2023,” an appellation that drew a loud and resounding applause from party stakeholders in attendance.
He said: “The truth is that we do not have any issue either with our party or our candidate. If there are challenges they must be tabled. We are supposed to give hope to our people; we want them to listen to us.
“Our party wants to rescue Nigeria and our candidate is a unifier. He wants to restructure Nigeria. Eight years of the All Progressives Congress have left us sharply divided. The issue is we must practice what we preach. If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify the PDP first.
“If we want to restructure Nigeria, we must have the willingness to bring inclusivity to the PDP. Do we have the capacity? The answer is resounding yes.
“The message from the South-West PDP is the South-West is asking that the National Working Committee of the PDP should be restructured.
“We are asking the National Chairman to step down so that the South will be fully included. That is the message.”
Attendees
The parley was attended by PDP leaders across the six states of the geopolitical zones with a common resolution to ensure victory for the PDP in next year’s general election.
The PDP leaders who attended the interactive session included the chief host, Governor Makinde; Ogun state governorship candidate, Chief Ladi Adebutu; former Governor of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose; Osun state Governor-elect, Senator Demola Adeleke; the governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos state, Olajide Adediran and his running mate, Funke Akindele. Others are the party’s vice presidential candidate and governor of Delta state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; Chairman PDP’s Governors’ Forum and Sokoto state Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal; former governor of Cross River state, Liyel Imoke; Deputy National Chairman of the PDP (North), Umar Damagum and national deputy chairman of the PDP (South) Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, among other stakeholders from the South-west.
