The festering rift between the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the camp of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has reached a climax.
Atiku foreclosed the resignation of the PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, as being demanded by the Wike camp as a pre-condition to campaign for the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election.
Rising from a marathon meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in the wee hours of Wednesday, Wike and his loyalists had announced their withdrawal from the PDP Presidential Campaign Council to protest Ayu’s continued stay in office as National Chairman.
Those at the Port Harcourt meeting were Wike, Chief Bode George, Senator Jonah Jang, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Mr. Ayo Fayose, Senator Garba Lado, Prince Chibudom Nwuche, Caleb MutFwang, Senator Sandey Onor and Chief Dan Orbih.
Others were David Emmanuel Obugadu, Mohammed Maifada, Senator Suleiman Nazif, Nnenna Elendu Ukeje, Prof. Jerry Gana, Dr. Ibrahim Dankwabo, Mr. Donald Duke, Hon. Bayo Lawal, Hon. Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, Senator Olaka Nwogu,. Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN, and Mohammed Jamiu.
Atiku, in a statement, which he personally signed, declared that nobody can force Ayu to resign. He urged Wike and his loyalists to have a re-think and retrace their steps.
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Atiku stated: “Early this morning, my attention was drawn to a news clip in which several very senior and influential members of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), addressed the press and, amongst other things, declared that they are withdrawing, forthwith, from the Presidential Campaign Council set up by our party to judiciously plan and prosecute the general elections set to hold in February and March 2023, on the one hand; and reiterated their earlier calls for the resignation or removal from office of the national chairman of our party, Senator Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, on the other hand.
“The people that addressed the press must have their reasons for withdrawing from the Presidential Campaign Council, and I will not speculate as to what those reasons may be.
“Personally, I am quite surprised with this withdrawal because, as I have been informed by officials of our party, apart from the Rivers State chapter of the PDP, all the remaining states of the federation submitted names of people who they wanted included in the Presidential Campaign Council.
“On the calls for the resignation or removal from office of our national chairman, however, I must reiterate what I have said severally in public and in private; the decision for Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to resign from office is personal to Dr. Ayu and, neither I nor anyone else can make that decision for him.
“As to the calls for the removal of Dr. Ayu from office, however, I will state that, as a committed democrat and firm believer in the rule of law and democratic tenets, and our party being one set up, organised and regulated by law and our constitution, it is my absolute belief that everything that we do in our party must be done in accordance with, and conformity to, the law and our constitution.
“If Dr. Ayu is to be removed from office, it must be done in accordance with the laws that set out the basis for such removal. In any event, you will all recall that the very body that is empowered by law to initiate this removal from office, has already passed a vote of confidence in him”.