Katch Ononuju, a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, says the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, wants the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign so that he can have a peaceful party to win the February 2023 presidential election.
“From my own insider information, the candidate wants Mr Ayu to resign but there are hogs in the party who are telling them, ‘Ayu, don’t resign’. I don’t know why. The candidate wants Mr Ayu to leave so that he could have a peaceful party to go to the election,” Ononuju said Thursday onChannels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme monitored by Newsclick Nigeria.
“If Atiku keeps saying he is a unifier, let him now unify the party by taking decisions and also acting to aid the southerners in this issue of inclusion,” he added.
He said Ayu is the reason for the current internal implosion of the party. “If he (Ayu) stays, he divides the party; if he stays, the party could lose. If he stays, the party implodes with the staying put.”
Ononuju said the agitation for a southerner to replace Ayu is beyond Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, but a collective demand by the southern caucus of the PDP who are against the idea of northerners occupying the three top positions of the party – Atiku (Adamawa State), Ayu (Benue State); as well as the Board of Trustees’ Chairman, Walid Jibrin (Nasarawa State).
However, the national chairman of the party has insisted that he won’t step down till after his four-year single term.
To this, Ononuju said, “If he (Ayu) goes, we have mechanisms, we’ve had chairmen who have left without completing their four-year term. The person (Uche Secondus) he replaced didn’t complete his four-year term. “He should understand the way he came is also the door he will go through. He should understand that our party is that way.
“Right now, we believe he is overstayed his welcome. So, politely, as members of the same party, so that he doesn’t continue to stay there and continue to call our governors children, he should simply just go away and let us sort ourselves.”
According to him, the agitation for a southern national chairman is an issue of inclusion, adding that the government of Atiku could be fraught with nepotism should he win the presidential election.
‘Atiku Stand By NEC’s Decision’
However, an associate of the PDP presidential candidate, Fabiyi Oladimeji, said the National Executive Committee of the party will decide whether Ayu should resign or not.
Oladimeji, who is the Director, Support Group and Events Technical Committee, Atiku For President 2023, also spoke alongside Ononuju on Channels Television’s breakfast show Thursday.
“Atiku is committed to peace and unity of the party because he understands that we need to go into this election united…Let’s respect the supremacy of the party. We have organs of the party which make decisions; we have the NEC, we have the Caucus, we have the BoT, we have the NWC. So, let the NEC which is the final organ take the decision; it is not the decision of Atiku,” he said.
When asked whether Atiku wants Ayu to go or not, Oladimeji said, “Atiku will support the majority view of the party.”
