PDP Crisis: Clock Ticks For Iyorchia Ayu As Wike’s Allies Push For Removal

…Fayose May Be Chairman

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is rallying his political allies and associates to push for the removal of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

THE WHISTLER gathered over the weekend that Ayu’s position as the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party has become untenable following his role in the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate and the alleged ill treatment of Wike.

Wike has been unhappy that Ayu has created favourable condition for those opposed to him to thrive while also not ensuring that the decision of the committee set up to choose Atiku’s running mate was not thwarted.

Atiku has also, allegedly, not reached out to Wike to explain why he was overlooked and Ifeanyi Okowa, Govenor of Delta State, chosen despite recommendation by the 17-member committee.

Ayu had emerged as National Chairman following his recommendation by his state governor, Samuel Ortom, to Wike during a visit to the state.

Wike immediately bought into his personality at a time Uche Secondus had fallen out with the Rivers State Governor over his uncomplimentary remarks on the presidential zoning in the party.

Secondus had said the presidential ticket would be zoned to the North to the disapproval of Wike, who haboured interest in the position.

When it was perfected for Ayu to emerge, Wike made it clear no one would contest against him and all attempts to hijack the process failed.

However, the emergence of Ayu was done with the hope that the presidential candidate of the party would come from the South to avoid concentrating the party’s leadership positions in the North.

When a Northerner in the person of Atiku emerged, it was felt that Ayu could stay until after the presidential election before he can go. This it was agreed that it would not disrupt the leadership of the party at a critical time.

But with reported leaning and overt support given to Atiku by Ayu, there’s anger in the Wike camp. Even Ortom has reportedly fallen out with Ayu and has stated it on a national television last week.

First among the conditions for peace and support in the party from Wike is that Ayu must “leaves as soon as practicable,” a source said on Sunday.

That will ensure the tough talking govenor consolidates his hold on the party even as he has more than half of the members of the party’s leadership with him.

Marshall Obuzor, the Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Rivers State Governor, did not respond to text message and calls made to his telephone line.

Attempts to speak with Chukwuemeka Woke, the governor’s Chief of Staff also proved abortive as the voice denied he was the one speaking when our Correspondent sent a text and called his line several times.

Wike who returned to the country on Saturday after a one week holiday in Ankarah, Turkey, was joined by Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu and his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde.

Believed to be in Wike’s camp are Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Ortom, Ikpeazu, Ayo Fayose, former Ekiti State Governor, almost all national assembly caucuses from the South and Southern caucus of the party as well as a huge support from the National Working Committee of the party.

Also key members of the NEC of the party such as four of the six zonal chairmen have joined in the move to unseat Ayu, it was learnt.

Ayu Accused Of Partiality And Vested Interest

It was not long after his emergence that Ayu was accused of being partial.

At the height of the campaign towards the party’s presidential primary, Ayu told Atiku during his visit that they had been friends for over 30 years.

He had said, “Let me acknowledge the fact that you and I have been close friends, personal friends for more than 30 years as it was indicated. We were key players in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and key players in the emergence of Chief MKO Abiola.

“So you are a presidential aspirant today. But I want people to know that you are still my friend. I can’t deny you; I never deny my friends including those who are in the other disastrous party. You know them because even there, we have common friends who miss road, who normally should be here with us.

“More importantly, since we formed this party as you have mentioned, we have worked together in various capacities. It is you and I that plotted the emergence of President Obasanjo. An administration that did very well, putting Nigeria on a healthy map economically, socially and politically.

“Again, I can’t deny the fact that we work together harmoniously, whether political issues or economic issues and on the National Security Council when I was minister for internal affairs.”

Ayu’s receptive statement was interpreted as betraying his tacit support for Atiku.

He was also accused of insisting on holding the Presidential Primary when the All Progressives Congress, APC, postponed its special convention after extension was granted to political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for parties to hold their presidential primaries.

At an emergency meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on the Saturday of the event, Ayu was said to have spoken vehemently in favour “of not act of cowardice like the APC. Let’s show Nigerians that we are straight forward.”

All arguments that the party should play the game APC was playing to enable it determine how to zone its presidential candidate was rebuffed.

That was seen as Ayu’s secret move to ensure the North produced the party’s presidential candidate, which came to be.

It was also gathered that Ayu played a big role to ensure Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal stepped down for Atiku.

Tambuwal, who had over 190 delegates with him, stepped down at the last minutes and asked all his delegates and others to vote for Atiku, which quickly tipped the balance in Atiku’s favour.

A day after the election, Ayu was the first to visit Tambuwal to hail him as the hero of the convention, which did not go down well with Wike and his associates.

Ayu Has Lost NWC

Apart from losing the National Executive Council, NEC, with some governors, members of the national assembly and others up against his leadership, Ayu has also allegedly lost the NWC.

Leading opposition to his leadership is the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, Wike’s right hand man, a source confided in our correspondent.

Popularly called Sam Daddy, he was local government chairman when Wike was also local government chairman.

The two National Vice Chairmen, Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Taofeek Arapaja and Umar Damagum, former governorship candidate of Yobe are also pushing for Ayu’s removal.

It was gathered that out of the 21 members of NWC, 16 members are asking for change of leadership.

The source at the NWC said things could get messy next week when the NWC is expected to sit and that Anyanwu has been avoiding Ayu for some days now.

Fayose As Interim National Chairman

As a stop gap measure before a proper National Convention is held, Fayose has been tipped by the Wike camp to emerge as the National Chairman to lead the party to the general election.

Although Fayose is pro-Wike, he is being seen as the ideal man for now to rally the South West troop to ensure the party does well in the presidential election in February 2023.

He was a presidential aspirant but scored zero vote, with allegation that he was in the race for Wike and had his delegates turn their votes to Wike.

He recently said it was the turn of the South to produce the president and hinted at a court case against the PDP and Atiku. That might change if he’s told he would be allowed to emerge as chairman.

When contacted, the spokesman to Fayose, Lere Olayinka, said, “I don’t respond to rumours. Nothing like that yet to the best of my knowledge.”

Ayu, Atiku Would Accept New Chairman For Peace To Reign

It was gathered that Ayu would accept the new arrangement for peace to reign. He had hinted that he would sooner than later relinquish his position depending on certain developments.

He had stated after his emergence as the party’s National Chairman that, “If the PDP says I should step down after a presidential candidate emerges and happens to be from the North, I will be very glad to do so because what we want is to take over the government and run the government in the interest of Nigerians. So, I’ll sacrifice anything to ensure that my party wins.”

Also, elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, asked Ayu to resign saying, he was partial during the PDP’s presidential primary, and should “no longer consider himself fit and proper to retain his position as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and should resign now.”

On Atiku’s part, he was reported to have earlier accepted that Ayu had to go but recent change of heart that he should be allowed to conduct the general election is being seen as the reason Ayu is still holding on.

Although a source close to Atiku said he won’t have a problem, his challenge would be that he would be perceived as a weak man who succumbed easily to bully.

“The challenge is not to allow Wike take absolute control of the party. He will have the National Chairman as his man, the National Secretary as his man, the two National Vice Chairmen as his men and all.

“It means he will practically own the party. That too is a huge consideration.

“But on the balance of composition, you don’t have the presidential candidate and the National Chairman all coming from one geopolitical section of the country,” a member of the NEC said.

The spokesman of the PDP, Dabo Ologunagba, when contacted, said PDP “does not belong to one person where people come and go. PDP is like the Catholic Church, owned by everybody and nobody in particular, like the Pentecostal church.

“The statement issued last week says there’s a national chairman. That position has not changed.”