National Chairman Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Iyorchia Ayu has vowed not to resign his position because in his view, there’s no reason to do so.
Ayu stated this in an interview with BBC Hausa Service monitored Wednesday in Abuja.
The former Senate President also said he was elected for a 4-year tenure and had not committed any crime to warrant his resignation.
How it started
Following the emergence of a northerner and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate, some major stakeholders sympathetic to Wike’s cause, felt there was need for the party chair to resign having come from the same region with Atiku.
However, some chieftains of the party, including former Jigawa state Governor Sule Lamido, were of the view that laudable as the idea appears, removing Ayu as party chair few months to major election could be suicidal.
This group cited the election of a northerner, late Presidential Umar Musa Yar’Adua supervised by another northerner, Colonel Ahmadu Ali.
And notwithstanding their argument, the pro-Wike supporters insisted the former varsity teacher should resign to allow for equity, inclusivity and fairness in the distribution of party offices.
The Wike group, as they have come to be known, became more embittered after the governor lost out in the race for the party’s presidential ticket and also as running mate to the party’s presidential candidate.
There were various efforts to achieve some level of reconciliation, the latest of which was the London meeting held Thursday last week between Atiku and Wike, over dinner at the Park Lane Carlton Hotel.
The meeting had in attendance Benue state Governor Samuel Ortom, his Oyo counterpart, Seyi Makinde and that of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu who were on the side of the Rivers state governor.
Prior to the meeting with Atiku, Governor Wike had led his group to similar but separate meetings with the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi with former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Obi’s side.
Joining the meeting on the side of Atiku was Adamawa state Governor Ahmed Fintiri.
Although the warring parties didn’t brief journalists after the meeting, sources within the party however said Governor Wike had made up his mind not to work for the PDP and its standard bearer in next year’s election.
Ayu blasts Wike
But responding to the demand during the BBC interview, Senator Ayu described those calling for his resignation as boys in the party who do not know how the PDP was formed.
Ayu said he was elected by party members based on the guidelines stipulated by the PDP.
He said party leaders had agreed during the convention that the party would not consider the zone where the party chairman hailed from when electing the presidential candidate.
“I was elected for a tenure of four years. I am even yet to complete a year in the office. The election of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate did not bother the seat of the party chairman. I won the election and it is based on the party’s constitution.
“I did not commit any offence; I am committed to my work, and I don’t bother about the noise going on,” Ayu said.
On whether the crisis could cost the PDP victory in the 2023 general election, former Senate President Ayu said: “I co-founded the PDP in Nigeria and some boys who don’t know how we struggled and what we went through can’t cause problems for the party.
“When we started the PDP, we did not know those boys, they are children, they don’t know why we founded the party. We will not agree with one person to come and destroy our party.”
Court fixes Sept 14 for suit against PDP, Atiku
In a related development, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja Wednesday fixed September 14 to hear a suit filed by Governor Wike against the PDP presidential candidate.
Presiding Judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed fixed the date after granting a motion on notice for an extension of time filed by Priscila Eje, counsel for the PDP, Sokoto state Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Atiku.
The motion was granted after it was not opposed by lawyer to the plaintiffs, Wilfred Okoi.
Prince Michael Ekamon and Governor Wike are 1st and 2nd plaintiffs respectively in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/782/2022 dated and filed on June 3.
While the PDP is the 1st defendant, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tambuwal, and Atiku are 2nd to 4th defendants respectively in the suit.
The plaintiffs’ counsel told the court he had been served with a counter affidavit by PDP, Tambuwal and Atiku.
Among others, Wike prayed the court’s pronouncement declaring him the PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
While Wike came second behind Atiku during the party’s presidential convention May, Tambuwal, who was also a presidential aspirant, stepped down for Atiku at the last minute.
Although Governor Wike was recently quoted as having nothing to do with the suit, the party and others were represented in court, except INEC’s counsel, who was absent during the proceeding.
