The crisis in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) deepened on Saturday as some publicity secretaries in the Southwest opposed calls for Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s resignation as chairman of the party.
The scribes including Hameed Amode, Lagos; Raphael Adeyanju, Ekiti; Kennedy Peretei, Ondo and Bankole Akinloye Ogun, made their position known at a briefing in Lagos.
They said those calling for the resignation of the chairman did not mean well for the party.
According to them, calls for Ayu’s resignation were an attempt to sabotage the chances of the party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar to win the coming presidential election.
They said Ayu has their backing and his removal should follow due process as enshrined in their constitution.
The scribes also appealed to the leaders of the party to work with their presidential candidate to win the next year’s election.
Ayu has been in the eye of the storm with some chieftains of the party, who have been calling for his resignation over alleged marginalisation of the Southwest in the party leadership structure.
Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike and former National Vice Chairman, Southwest, Chief Olabode George have been leading vocal voices in the struggle.
But the National Executive Council(NEC) of the party overruled those pushing for Ayu’s resignation by passing a vote of confidence on him in their last meeting, which held penultimate week in Abuja.
However, at the party’s stakeholders’ meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde renewed the call for Ayu’s resignation. The governor said the Southwest was at the disadvantaged and that it will be difficult for him and other leaders in the region to campaign for the party.
Responding, Atiku who noted that Atiku’s removal was not a problem for him, but such request must follow due process and the party’s regulations and rule.
Speaking on behalf of the publicity secretaries, Peretei, who said they were standing with Ayu to continue his reign, added that any call for his resignation must follow the constitutional provisions of the party.
The statement read in parts: “On behalf of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) State Chapters in Ondo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and Lagos state we the Publicity Secretaries in these states respectively dissociate ourselves from calls for the resignation of Dr Iyorchia Ayu as PDP National Chairman.
“We wish to affirm our faithfulness to the PDP constitution which clearly stipulates procedure for leadership election and removal. As the only political party that has not changed name or logo since its establishment in 1998, the party cannot afford to appear unserious.
“We do not see any justification for the resignation of our National Chairman, especially at this very critical stage of preparation for elections.
“Dr Iyorchia Ayu was duly elected at a properly constituted National Convention with a four year mandate and recently received vote of confidence of the party’s National Executive Committee, at its 97th meeting in Abuja.
“Our party has championed the sanctity of the PDP Constitution (2017 as amended) . We must therefore do everything to maintain this sanctity. Any action that undermines the spirit of the party’s constitution at this crucial stage can only be considered as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the party’s efforts at winning in the coming general elections.
“We appeal to the leadership of our party in the Southwest region 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 the office.
“The concern of our zonal leaders and their determination to protect the interest of our members against any form of marginalisation is deeply appreciated. However, our focus should be directed mainly to encouraging our teeming members to rally round our candidates vying for the Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and Governorship positions and ensure that they win elections.
“The leadership of the party in the aforementioned states pledge our unwavering support and unalloyed commitment to our presidential candidate, former Vice President of Nigeria, His Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, His Excellency, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
“The mission to rescue, rebuild and redirect Nigeria is task that must done, to save our country from imminent total collapse.”