PDP crisis: Atiku gives conditions for Ayu to resign

Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, gave conditions for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

He said this could  only be done in accordance with the party’s constitution and practice.

Atiku said, “We cannot do anything outside our constitution except if it is amended. We cannot do anything unless the laws are amended.

“Ayu must go through our constitution, rules, regulations and our practice, otherwise we cannot give the kind of leadership Nigerians want.

“It is possible; it is achievable; we have done it before and we have started doing it again.”

Atiku stated this at the PDP South-West stakeholders meeting held at the popular Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, University Teaching Hospital, UCH, Ibadan.

He was reacting to the decision of the region, which called for the resignation of Ayu at the meeting.

Atiku urged the PDP members not to allow the issue to derail them from working hard to win the next general elections.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had earlier conveyed the message of the region to the party presidential candidate; that Ayu must resign to give room for fairness and equity.

He said there was no way the PDP could be trusted to restructure Nigeria without first addressing the issue of restructuring within the party before the 2023 elections.

He said, “If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify PDP first. If we want government of national unity, it must reflect in PDP. If we want to restructure in Nigeria, we must restructure PDP first.

“Our presidential candidate is from Northeast, our National Chairman is from North Central, the Director General of Atiku campaign, Aminu Tambuwa, is from the Northwest, so the PDP National Chairman should step down now for peace to reign.”

Speaking on behalf of the National Chairman, the PDP Deputy National Chairman, North, Umar Damagum, urged members to commit themselves and work assiduously for the victory of the party in the coming elections.

He said the choice of the venue for the meeting was deliberate because Ibadan was the capital of politics in Southwest and Nigeria at large.

Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwa, said the meeting was a sign of good things to come, and Southwest would come back to the PDP in 2023.

Those in the entourage of the presidential candidate of the party are Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, Osun State Governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, PDP governorship candidates, ex-Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, ex-Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, e-Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja among others.