PDP supremacy battle: At last, Ayu quits, as PDP appoints new Chairman
…Dep. Nat’l Chair (North), Damagum assumes chairmanship position
By Moses Adeniyj
After a long period of supremacy battle over the soul of the Party’s leadership, embattled Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu fell off from the seat as the Party on Tuesday sealed his fate off the chairmanship position, appointing a replacement.
Ayu’s fate in the supremacy struggle was shattered on Monday following an order of the Court restraining him from parading himself as the National Chairman of the PDP, having been suspended from his Ward.
Consequently, in what seemed to have given those against his leadership a field day, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, on Tuesday, announced the replacement of embattled Ayu, with the National Vice-Chairman (North), Umar Damagum, as the acting Chairman of the PDP.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, who announced the appointment at a press conference following an emergency meeting on Tuesday, said that the action was informed by the Monday March 27, 2023, High Court Order in Benue State restraining Ayu from parading himself as the party’s Chairman.
Ologunagba while addressing the press conference said, “The presiding judge, Justice W.I. Kpochi, gave the interim order on Monday in the suit No. MHC/85/2023 filed at the court by Terhide Utaan with Ayu and the PDP as defendants. On Tuesday, March 28, 2023, we acknowledge the order of the Benue State High Court, dated March 27, 2023 with regards to the chairmanship position of our great Party.
“After a careful consideration of the court order and in line with Section 45 (2) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), the NWC resolved that the Deputy National Chairman (North) His Excellency, Amb. Umar Ililya Damagum, assumes the National Chairmanship of our party in acting capacity with effect from today, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.”
He disclosed that the NWC also charged all leaders, critical stakeholders, teeming members and supporters of party to remain calm and united at this critical time.
On his part, Damagum who was appointed to replace Ayu, said, “We are here to fulfil all righteousness. We have a court order restraining the chairman, our national chairman and we are law abiding.
“I will be here with you in acting capacity pending the determination of the court. I want to use this opportunity to employ you to give me the cooperation as all used to have with you.
“I will have a meeting immediately after this session with the NWC to review what is happening in the party.”
Some members of the NWC, who were in attendance, were the National Youth Leader, Muhammed Suleiman, National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade SAN, National Treasurer, Ahmed Yayari Mohammed, National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyegikuro, and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
Although Ayu had tried to fight back against his suspension from his Ward in Gboko Local Government Area (LGA) in Benue State, the Court on Monday handicapped him with an injunction restraining him from “parading himself as the National Chairman of the PDP.”
Ayu had on Monday prior to the Court injunction boasted that the suspension lashed on him by executive members of his Ward, was an exercise in futility.
Ayu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, in Abuja on Monday, discountenanced the suspension.
Discrediting the action, Ayu had described as rumours the suspension declared by the Executive Committee of his Ward, arguing that “For starters, Article 57(7) of the PDP Constitution as Amended in 2017, expressly prohibits any organ of the party or executive committee of the party at the Ward or State Level from taking any disciplinary measure against any member of the party’s National Executive Committee.
“The purported suspension is, therefore, an exercise in futility as it derives its strength majorly from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and desperation. It has only mischief, drama and propaganda value.”
However, the High Court sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital, presided over by Justice Wilfred Kpochi on Monday issued an interim order of injunction following an ex-parte application brought before the Court by a PDP stalwart, Mr. Conrad Utaan against Ayu and the PDP in a suit No MHC/85/2023.
The application was supported by a 15-paragraph affidavit and three exhibits including the applicant’s PDP membership card, receipt of payment of dues and a copy of the resolution of the PDP Executive of the Igyorov Council Ward of Gboko Local Government Area (LGA), suspending Ayu.
The plaintiff in the application argued that Ayu should cease to operate in the capacity of the National Chairman “having lost membership of the party, pending the hearing and determination of Motion on Notice already filed.”
In his ruling, Justice Kpochi had held that the Court, after listening to the plaintiff’s counsel move the application “and upon a dispassionate consideration of the facts placed before me in the pool of the affidavit evidence, and again, upon the consideration of the issues distilled in the written address by the plaintiff’s counsel, it is my candid view that this is a proper case to grant the interim injunction as craved.
“Consequently, this application is hereby granted in terms of the reliefs captured in the motion papers as herein before reproduced. It is so ordered.”
Battle against Ayu to oust him from the chairmanship position of the PDP heightened on Sunday as 12 out of the 17 member Executive of the Igyorov Council Ward of the PDP in Gboko LGA, Benue, declared his suspension after passing a vote of no confidence on him over alleged anti party activities.
The battle in the PDP has assumed a rougher dimension since the conclusion of the presidential election that saw PDP lose to the APC.
The crises in the Party worsened with series of suspension of members with Ayu himself, on Sunday coming under a stroke of suspension.
The suspension of Ayu was effected from his Ward – Igyorov Ward of Gboko Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, by the Ward Executive of the Party.
Ayu’s suspension came with immediate effect less than a week after the Party’s NWC lashed some of its key members including former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; former president of the Senate, Pius Anyim; and others, including Prof Dennis Ityavyar and Aslam Aliyu, with suspension.
The Party had also referred Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom to the National Disciplinary Committee over his reported involvement in anti-party activities.
Ortom and Ayu hail from same Benue State but fell out due to irreconcilable differences over the General Elections.
Ortom is a member of the G-5 PDP Governors who demanded the resignation of Ayu as National Chairman in the build-up to the General Elections and his replacement by a southerner, since Atiku Abubakar the presidential candidate of the party is from the North.
Addressing the media on Sunday, on behalf of the Ward Chairman, Kashi Philip, the Ward Secretary, Mr. Vangeryina Dooyum had said that Ayu was suspended by the Executive for alleged anti party activities.
The Secretary who read from a text signed by 12 out of the 17 member Ward Executive stated that the decision to suspend the National Chairman was reached after the leadership reviewed his conduct at the end of the just concluded general elections.
He had mentioned that Ayu was suspended following alleged anti-party activities while also defecting in payment of his Annual Subscription Fees.
The Ward Executives had also alleged that he failed to vote during the Governorship and State Assembly Elections held on March 18, 2023, but rather connived with his allies to work for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Recall, in swift reaction to his referral to the party’s disciplinary committee, Ortom, had last Thursday said Ayu, ought rather to be the one to face the party’s disciplinary panel for anti-party activities and not him.
He had said Ayu should be explaining to party members how he lost his polling unit, Ward, LGA and State during the last general elections instead of chasing shadows.
Ortom had also dismissed his referral to the disciplinary panel over alleged anti-party activities as contempt of a subsisting Court Order.
On his own response to his suspension, Fayose, had said the days of Ayu as National Chairman of the PDP are numbered.
In a statement through his Spokesperson, Lere Olayinka last Friday, described the Ayu-led National Working Committee of the party as “the last kick of a dead horse.”
He said, “Ayu and his cohorts are only entertaining themselves with the purported suspension as their latest comedy skit.”
According to Fayose, in a matter of days, the “inglorious tenure” of Ayu as national chairman of PDP would become history and the party will enjoy a new lease of life.
Fayose said he and others who stood by the Party when “Ayu and his cohorts” left it to die would rescue it and give life back in due course.”
“The purported suspension will have no leg to stand,” he had said.
On his part, in the supremacy battle, Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike had on Monday challenged Ayu to a fight for the soul of the PDP, stating it is impossible for the the latter to preside over the Party, particularly for his State where he said he has fought to retain a victory for the party.
Wike a member of the G-5 governors who fell out with the party leadership demanding the resignation of Ayu, during inauguration of remodelled Community Secondary School, Okoro-nu-Odo, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers State, on Monday, referring to Ayu, declared that a person who failed to secure victory for the Party in his Unit, Ward, LGA or State in the 2023 general elections does not deserve to be allowed to preside over the Party.
He had said, “Ask those who want to be chairman of this Party (PDP), what do you have to give now? Presidential election; you took bribe, and lost in your Unit, lost in your Ward, lost in your Local Government and lost in your State. Which party will you preside over now?
“Those fighting that they have suspended him, you have not seen anything yet. The fight has started. Ayu, the fight has just started. If you know him, those of you who are close to him, tell him, Iyorchia Ayu, the fight has just started.
“Will you preside over the one (Rivers PDP) I have secured victory for? You want to come and preside over this State so that we will begin to donate money to the party? Bring your own State to the party too, so your State can contribute money to the national. If you don’t deliver your State, you can’t preside over us. You cannot.
“Look at somebody who did anti-party, he is suspending people. The chief priest of anti-party, native doctor of anti-party, suspending those who have worked hard for this party. All of you joining Ayu, be prepared. Now, I have no other job. The job I have now is to put more heat on them and I will continue to do that.
“If you like, let the National Secretary rush to Abuja. Let them meet this afternoon and say the suspension is illegal, you will see what you will face. You are calling us small boys, you will see what small boys can do to you.”
The build-up to the general elections had seen the PDP torn into blocs of divergent interest due to irreconcilable differences.
The development had affected the fate of the Party at the polls 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 from 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, with accusing fingers pointed at Ayu.
