EXPLAINER: Major Error, Ayu’s Purported Tribalism, Secrecy, Main Reasons Wike’s Men Abandoned Atiku’s Campaign – Nexus News
A series of unfavorable events finalized the decision of some officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to abandon Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign council during a meeting on Tuesday, September 20.
But there were other unsettled crises that were brought up in a press release containing agreements reached by Wike’s supporters in the Tuesday meeting.
PDP’s unending division In the said statement read by Olubode George, a former deputy national chairman of the PDP, was disclosed that for a long time the party’s crisis resolution mechanism put in place since its inception has not fulfilled its function.
Bode mentioned: “We resolve that we are deeply concerned by the division in our party. We are aware that over the years our party has developed conflict resolution mechanisms that guarantee inclusiveness.”
The PDP chieftain said that publishing a list of members of the campaign council was more like putting the cart before the horse.
For him, the leadership’s first step should have been to address the contending issues (one of which is perceived tribalism) and close the widening ranks within the party.
His words: “The published presidential campaign council list translates to putting the cart before the horse. The pertinent issue remains the resolution of the leadership which is a departure of Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the National Chairman of the party for an acting Chairman of the Southern Nigerian extraction to emerge and lead the party on the national campaign.
“Consequently, we resolved not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.”
A senator of the PDP, Jonah Jang, blamed Ayu of working secretly with some prominent members before the presidential primary to shortchange other aspirants. Jang recalled that Ayu at one point depicted Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto as the hero of the primary because he stepped down for Atiku. According to him: “For a National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu to go and embrace Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tanbuwal, calling him the hero of the convention meant that there was a private arrangement that was done with Tambuwal to shortchange other contestants including Governor Wike.
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“Here was a referee, who helped one of his sides to score a goal and then blew the whistle. This is not what we formed the PDP to do for Nigerians. Therefore, we unequivocally ask that Ayu must step down.”
Need for restructuring in PDP
On his part, a former minister of information and national orientation, Jerry Gana, emphasized that for the PDP to ever dream of restructuring Nigeria, it must first look inward and start from there. In Gana’s opinion, restructuring the PDP starts with effecting Ayu’s resignation. He said: “You cannot build on a faulty foundation. This call for the chairman to step down or resign is not because any of us is aggrieved but because we believe it is important to ensure a just, fair, principled, and constitutional structure for the party. If we want to restructure Nigeria, we should have the courage to restructure our party.”
2023: Ayu became PDP boss through the back door? A source in the opposition party who spoke with Journalists has made some yet-to-be-confirmed disclosures on how Ayu attained his office, which he had been asked to vacate by members of Wike’s camp for peace to have its way.
The source said that Governor Samuel is one of those in support of Wike because the former was particularly connected to Ayu’s emergence as the party’s chairman.
