The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, gave conditions for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
He said Ayu’s resignation must be done in accordance with the party’s constitution, rules, regulations and practice.
Atiku said: “We cannot do anything outside our constitution except if it is amended. We cannot do anything unless the laws are amended.
“Ayu must go through our constitution, rules, regulations, and our practice, otherwise we cannot give the kind of leadership Nigerians want.
“It is possible, it is achievable, we have done it before and we have started doing it again.”
Atiku disclosed this at the PDP Southwest stakeholders meeting held at the popular Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, University Teaching Hospital, UCH, Ibadan.
He was reacting to the decision of the region, which called for the resignation of Ayu at the meeting.
Atiku, therefore, urged PDP members not to allow the issue to derail them from working hard to win the next general elections.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state had earlier conveyed the message of the region to the party presidential candidate; that Ayu must resign to give room for fairness and equity.
He said there were issues on the structural deficiency in the party to be addressed before the 2023 election.
“If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify PDP first. If we want government of national unity, it must reflect in PDP.
“If we want to restructure in Nigeria, we must restructure PDP first.
“Our presidential candidate is from North-East, our National Chairman is from North Central, the Director General of Atiku campaign, Aminu Tambuwal, is from the North-West, so the PDP National Chairman should step down now for peace to reign.”
Ayu speaks
Speaking on behalf of the National Chairman, the party’s Deputy National Chairman, North, Umar Damagum, urged members to commit themselves and work for the victory of the party in the coming elections.
He noted that the choice of the venue for the meeting was deliberate because Ibadan was the capital of politics in the South-West and Nigeria at large.
In his remarks, the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, said the meeting was a sign of good things to come, and South-West would come back to PDP in 2023.
Roll call
In the entourage of the presidential candidate of the party were Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Bala Mohammed; Osun State governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke.
Also, PDP governorship candidates, ex-Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko; ex-Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; ex-Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja and a host of others, were with him.
