PDP crisis: Sambo, Atiku, 395 other NEC members pass vote of confidence in Ayu

…As Wike dismisses BOT Chairman’s resignation, insists Ayu must go

By Uthman Salami

The former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, the standard bearer of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other 395 National Executive Council members of the PDP have passed a vote of confidence in the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

Consequently, the embattled Chairman would not be stepping down any time soon despite calls by some Governors led by the vociferous Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and other party members who felt ostracized and cheated following the primary elections that produced Atiku Abubakar as standard bearer of the Party.

Meanwhile, at the PDP National Executive Council Meeting today in Abuja, the party further reposed its confidence in Ayu.

Report had it that about 397 members of the NEC including past national Chairmen of the party, the immediate past Vice President of the country, Namadi Sambo, the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar among others were among party members who partook in the meeting.

Nigerian NewsDirect reports that all the 397 members of the NEC present at the meeting threw their weight behind Ayu, supporting him to continue as the Chairman of the party.

Earlier, the Acting Board of Trustees Chairman and a former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, had put it to a voice vote after the House Minority Leader moved a motion for members of the committee to continue to have him as the chairman of the party.

… Wike dismisses Jibrin’s resignation, insists Ayu must go

Despite all efforts and plead by Party members for all aggrieved members to sheathe their swords, the Rivers Governor, Nyesom said he would not give up the fight for the removal of Sen. Iyorcha Ayu as the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The Rivers Governor made his position known at the state capital just as the PDP were holding their  National Executive Council, NEC of their party in Abuja where they passed a vote of confidence on Ayu.

Much earlier, the Chairman of Board of Trustees of the Party,  Walid Jibrin had tendered his resignation, in what many described as one of many efforts aimed at meeting the demands of Wike and his allies that Northerners are occupying the major National Executive position of PDP, including holding the Presidential ticket.

Jibrin, from Nasarawa State in North Central Nigeria was replaced by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara from Abia, in South east Nigeria.

Also, Aminu Tambuwal, the Governor of Sokoto State also resigned at the ongoing National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja in a move believed to be part of the ‘de-nothernisation’ plan.

He was replaced by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in South West Nigeria.

However, immediate reaction of the Rivers Governor to events at Abuja Wadata House Secretariat of the party was that Jibrin’s resignation is not a substitute for his insistence of Ayu’s vacation of office.

Wike, backed his demand for removal of the former Senator, insisting that Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the party had told him after he won the primary elections that Ayu had to vacate his position as PDP Chairman.

In his words, “When we finished our convention on Saturday to Sunday, the candidate of the party (Atiku) came to see me in my house in Abuja on Monday around 10:30am…The candidate told me: ‘I want us to work together’ and then he said, ‘Look, Ayu must go’.

“I said why? He said because when a candidate comes from the North, the Chairman will come from the South. And I am saying, implement what you told me. What offense have I committed? It has nothing to do with Wike; it has to do with integrity.

“I challenge the Presidential candidate to deny this. If he denies this, I will go further to say so many things to Nigerians because enough is enough,” the Governor said on Thursday during the commissioning of the Ahoada Campus of the Rivers State University in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.

The Rivers Governor said the resignation of Jibrin is not a substitute for the demand for Ayu’s resignation.

“This fight we will fight it to the end,” he said while emphasizing that having produced the Presidential candidate of the party, the North should not also hold on to the chairmanship of the party.

“Some of you don’t know what is happening. You are being deceived; they are telling you Wike is causing problems. Wike is not causing problems; Wike is bringing peace to the country. Wike is advocating for justice, Wike is advocating for equity, and Wike is advocating for fairness.

“We have finished with the presidential primary. It is over and it is over. So, when people say, ‘You want to destroy the party because you didn’t win the primary’, I think they are sick, they have some mental problem.”

He also said his demand for Ayu’s resignation was not because he lost the presidential ticket of PDP to Atiku.

“In a contest, there must be a winner, there must be a loser. I have no regret. We contested the election very well and we are not ashamed,” Wike said.

He added that Ayu, before the national convention of the party in May, made a promise to resign should a Northern Presidential candidate emerge at the primary.

“When the North-Central met in the house of Governor Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State, he (Ayu) said so there. When he met the caucus of the Senate, he told them that.

“They have today told the BoT Chairman to resign. Who is talking about the Chairman of BoT? What is the role of the BoT? BoT is an advisory body. We have never zoned BoT. BoT is an advisory body; BoT is not a decision-making body.

“Those who run (the party) as it is today is the Presidential candidate and the Chairman of the party.

“The Chairman of the party and the candidate or the President as the case may be are the ones that take decisions.

“The candidate is from the North, the Chairman is from the North. Who will represent the South in the decision-making of the party? You have taken the candidate of the party. Yes, we have agreed. You can’t take the two major positions of a party. You cannot,” he added.