The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has received a fresh turn as political camp loyal to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has been making push for a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party.
Vanguard gathered that some allies of Wike within the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and some state chapter chairmen of the PDP in the South may have been facilitating the push for the NEC meeting as part of moves to send the embattled National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu packing from office.
Recall that Ayu has been insistent that nobody can remove him as the chairman of the party.
Addressing a crowd of supporters in Gboko, his hometown in Benue during the weekend, Ayu had said he is capable of stopping any candidate of the party, who is vying on the platform of the PDP from achieving their ambitions if he decides to reciprocate the attacks on him from some quarters.
Ayu and Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state have been crossed over the latter’s alignment with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in the call for the resignation of the PDP chairman.
The calls for Ayu’s resignation has been heightened by some prominent chieftains of the party, some allies of Wike and other dissatisfied members of the PDP are hatching a fresh plot to unseat him.
The PDP NEC meeting, it was gathered, that some governorship candidates of the PDP will publicly demand the resignation of the National Chairman of the party and support the plan for a NEC meeting.
A governorship candidate from the southeast is quoted to have said, “Most of the candidates of the party, especially in the south, are worried about the current developments in the party.
“Like Wike and his people have argued several times, it is unclear how our presidential candidate, AbubakarAtiku and Ayu, the National Chairman, want us to sell the PDP to our people in the south.
“What are we to tell them is in the party for us? How do we tell them to vote for a party that is carrying on as if the south does not matter? These are the challenges we face currently.
“And as candidates who are desirous of winning elections, we can no longer afford to keep quiet on this matter. We have met the gladiators and appealed to them to put the general interest of the party over and above all other interests.
“But is appears no one is interested in our plight. We have resolved to take our fate in our hands by speaking out.”
The governorship hopeful further informed that the call for the resignation of the National Chairman is not abating, urging Ayu to consider the interest of the party and sheathe his sword.
He said, “There is no reason why he can’t resign in the interest of the party. He is a father to all of us and our political future should be more important to him than anything else.
“This is our position and that is why we are ready to support the move for a NEC meeting in search of a resolution of this matter ahead of the 2023 election.
“We are in support of the call for a NEC meeting. We must sit down as a party and discuss this matter again. We cannot continue to pretend that it is not hurting our aspirations in our various states.”
Meanwhile, Vanguard gathered that some members of the NWC, who are dissatisfied with Ayu, have mooted the idea of getting the party to summon a NEC meeting as soon as possible.
According to sources, “As at the close of work on Friday, we have more than half of the NWC membership on our side. The plan to have a NEC meeting that will revisit the crisis in the party is waxing stronger.
“Soon, it will be difficult for anybody to continue to ignore the dissatisfaction of members of the committee with our National Chairman.
“Many state chapter chairmen are also in support of the decision that we discuss this matter as a family and take a decision while putting the interest of the party over and above all personal and group considerations,” he said.
Another source, said “if he got a vote of confidence and the crisis within the party went from bad to worse, then it is important that we re-examine the issues.
“It is the same people who gave the vote of confidence we are calling on to come and see how far that decision has taken us as a party ahead of the 2023 general elections.”
