…Stakeholders react
…Ayu who lost his polling unit, LGA, State deserves questioning, not me – Ortom
…Says Chair worked for APC in Benue
…Says national PDP leadership losing sense of direction, chasing imaginary shadows
By Moses Adeniyi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a lash on some of its key members over anti-party activities. The Party on Thursday suspended former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; former president of the Senate, Pius Anyim; and others including Prof Dennis Ityavyar and Aslam Aliyu.
The suspension, which took effect on Thursday, was arrived at after an extensive review of the affairs of the party, pursuant to the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017).
The PDP also referred the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, to the National Disciplinary Committee over his reported involvement in anti-party activities.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, PDP, Debo Ologunagba.
The statement reads partly: “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has after very extensive review of the affairs of our Party in the country and pursuant to the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) referred the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ortom to the National Disciplinary Committee over his reported involvement in anti-party activities.
“The NWC also approved the suspension of the following from the Party with effect from today, Thursday, March 23, 2023.
“1.Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti State); 2. Sen. Pius Anyim (Ebonyi State); 3.Prof. Dennis Ityavyar (Benue State); 4. Dr. Aslam Aliyu (Zamfara State).
“The PDP urges all leaders, critical stakeholders and teeming members of our Party across the country to remain united and focused at this critical time.”
…Ayu who lost his polling unit, LGA, State deserves questioning, not me – Ortom
However, in swift reaction to his referral to the disciplinary committee, Ortom, on Thursday said the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Iyiorchia Ayu, ought rather to be the one to face the party’s disciplinary panel for anti-party activities and not him.
He said Ayu should explain to party members how he lost his polling unit, ward, Local Government Area and State during the last general elections instead of chasing shadows.
Ortom also dismissed his referral to the disciplinary panel over alleged anti-party activities as contempt of a subsisting Court Order.
A statement in response to the referral signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, read in part: “Governor Ortom said it is contemptuous of the leadership of the PDP to disregard the Court Order which barred the party or any organ of the party from issuing any disciplinary measure against him.
“The case is pending in court and there is an order of injunction restraining any organ of the party from carrying out any disciplinary action against the governor.
“This Case is adjourned to 18th April 2023 and so it is baffling to see such a statement coming from the national leadership of the party.”
He quoted his principal as saying, “I think the national leadership of our great party is losing its sense of direction.
“Instead of the leadership to sit back and think of ways on how to rebuild the party from the ruins of the defeat from the just concluded elections, they are going about chasing imaginary shadows.
“In any case, the first person the party should refer to the disciplinary committee should be the national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
“The national chairman lost his polling unit, lost his ward, local government, and even the state.
“As if that is not enough, there are strong indications that the national chairman was involved in anti-party activities in Benue State by working for the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, just to get at me because of my principled stand against certain aspects of the decisions of the national leadership of the party.”
The Governor said the party should not be allowed to be ridiculed by some individuals who are bent on destroying the party for their selfish gains.
Crisis in the PDP recently worsened with the outcome of the general elections. Build up to the election had seen the Party torn into blocs of divergent interest due to irreconcilable differences.
The development had affected the fate of the Party as the G-5 governors which demanded the resignation of Ayu as the National Party Chairman and his substitution by a Southerner considering Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Party hails from the North, refused to work for the Party in the Presidential election, a situation that went sour for the Party in the outcome of the election.
The G-5 Governors which include Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State) and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State and other aggrieved stalwarts of the Party have been spotted to have worked against the party, weakening its fortune in the presidential election.
However, some members of the G-5 were also noted to have suffered ill fate as the elections turned sour for some of them seeking election into the Senate.
Members of the group apart of Makinde who won his reelection, and Wike who did not personally contest any seat, lost their senatorial bid for the Senate, following their two term tenure of eight years would elapse May 29.
It was alleged the Party had paid them back by working for opposition candidates.
On Fayose’s part, who was suspended, it was believed he was one of the aggrieved stakeholders who worked against the Party in the general elections.