The governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has said that nothing will save the embattled national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, from being removed from office
Recall that there have been strident calls for the resignation of Ayu, especially by Wike’s camp as a condition for resolving the crisis within the party.
However, last Thursday the PDP national executive committee passed a vote of confidence in Ayu and the national working committee.
To placate the southern members who are in the forefront of Ayu-must-g campaign, the party’s board of trustee chairman, Mr. Walid Jibrn resigned his chairmanship position to pave the way for the emergence of the former senate president, Mr. Adolphus Wabara.
But speaking yesterday at the reception for defectors from different political parties into the PDP in Port Harcourt, Wike said the vote of confidence passed in Ayu would not save him (Ayu).
The governor said those celebrating the vote of confidence seem to have forgotten history.
“I was watching, listening. They say there is one man called Secondus. They say he was dancing, celebrating that NEC gave their person a vote of confidence. He forgets history.
“Ask him, the same NEC through Aliyu Babangida, who moved a motion for vote of confidence supported by the same person, Ndude Elumelu, they gave him a vote of confidence. What happened? He left the office.
“We don’t fight and go back. If you like, you can have as many as 20 votes of confidence, it is not my business. My business and my team is to make sure the right thing is done.
“And the right thing must be done, whether today or tomorrow. So let nobody worry him or herself. If you are dancing, come home and dance. Come and mobilise for the person you think will win the election.
“You people should go home and rest. We know we are already waiting for the day set by INEC for them to blow the whistle. When they blow the whistle, we will know those who are in charge of Rivers State and those who are mere visitors to the state.”
Meanwhile, the campaign organisation of the party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Atiku Abubakar, said the PDP was exploring other options within its constitution to resolve the crisis.
Spokesman for the team, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, who spoke on Arise News yesterday, said instead of removing Ayu, a lot of work was ongoing to resolve the impasse adding that progress was being made by stakeholders in different quarters.
“So far, the party has been able to point to the right direction. But let me make it clear that the main issue that individuals have continued to canvass, the issue of the stepping down of the national chairman has been overtaken by events following the endorsement by the national executive committee of the party that they have now received a vote of confidence.
“Individuals may misinterpret it to mean calling the bluff of certain stakeholders but that is not it. The party leadership examined the issues vis-a-vis the provisions of the party’s constitution as amended in 2017.
“And when you look at that constitution, there are principal officers called the national working committee of the party led by the national chairman and in the other of hierarchy, after the national chairman, the next person in line by virtue of constitution is the deputy national chairman who must also come from the same region as the national chairman.
“The third in line is the national secretary. When you look at these positions, the national chairman is from the north, and because of the position of the constitution, the deputy who is the second in command also comes from the same region.
“If you proceed to section 45 of the PDP constitution, it makes it very clear that in the event of removal or resignation of the national chairman, the national deputy chairman takes over and acts in the position of that national chairman pending when the party is able to either organise another election or, through the NEC, is able to take a decision as to how to rearrange the hierarchy of the party,” he said.
Aniagwu said the party considered all the potential issues and that making new changes before the presidential election may also trigger another round of crisis.
“But knowing quite well that these positions are elective positions, even if you had asked Ayu to step down for power to come to the south, the provisions of the constitution of the party will also be offended except you have to take another decision to also remove the deputy national chairman of the party because the slot falls on him immediately by provisions of the law.
“In the event that the party is able to solve that puzzle by bringing both national chairman and deputy to south, the third person in the hierarchy of the national working committee of the party is the national secretary and from the south, specifically senator Samuel Anyanwu from Imo state.
“Now if you decide to bring these two positions to the southern part of the country, have you also made arrangements to take the national secretary back to the north? What does that tell you?”
“The party examined it that giving the time that we have about six months from now, when we are going have the presidential election, that it may likely snowball into some form of crisis that could trigger a whole lot of discomfort within the party and if we proceed to begin to make these changes, that there are tendencies that the party may be embroiled in a crisis that would be worse than the one we are seeing at the moment.
“That is what the ruling APC is waiting to happen but the leadership of the party is intelligent enough and I’m happy that Governor Nyesom Wike and other leaders appreciate the need for the party to move as a whole into the 2023 general election,” he added.
With TheCable report
