Atiku’s emergence: Move to topple Ayu thickens

Following the emergence of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stakeholders in the main opposition party are now calling for the resignation of the National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu. Daily Trust findings reveal that stakeholders are divided over the stay of Ayu who heads the National […]

Following the emergence of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stakeholders in the main opposition party are now calling for the resignation of the National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

Daily Trust findings reveal that stakeholders are divided over the stay of Ayu who heads the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Atiku is from the North East, Ayu is from the North Central, a development some party members said was not good for the unity of the party.

However, a chieftain of the party told Daily Trust that it was too early to call for the resignation of the chairman, saying “I wonder why our people are too hasty. This is the time to work for the victory of the party. After the election, everything will be sorted out.”

But the immediate past Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said Ayu should quit his post and resign as the national chairman immediately.

Odeyemi in a statement on Sunday said over one week after Atiku emerged as the PDP presidential candidate, Ayu had no moral right to retain his position as chairman.

The party chieftain said members of the party in the South were already feeling uneasy.

“It will be difficult for PDP members to campaign in the South if Senator Ayu retains his position as our chairman. He must go,” Odeyemi said.

He added that many members of the party in the North had started canvassing that Ayu should retain his seat as chairman until after the 2023 presidential election, which he said: “Will be too dangerous and a hindrance to PDP winning the 2023 election.”

In the same vein, some stakeholders, under the aegis of the Concerned PDP League, have also demanded the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Ayu,    Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu and National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, leader of the Concerned PDP League, Daboikiabo Warmate said Ayu and his team had been enmeshed in one scandal or the other to the detriment of the party since coming on board six months ago.

They warned that failure to tender their resignation letters would attract massive protest at the party’s national secretariat.