There are indications that the cracks in the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) have deepened, as forces opposed to the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, intensify the push for his ouster.
Daily Sun gathered that some members, including two national vice chairmen, are joining forces with opponents of the national chairman.
Ayu has been in the eye of the storm since the nomination of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The party crisis started when Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and his supporters insisted on replacing Ayu with a Southerner to create a North/South balance. Prominent members of the Wike group include Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, Benue State governor Samuel Ortom, Abia State governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Enugu State governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
The group said it was unfair to have the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, and the national chairman from the North. However, the national chairman has said he will not resign.
Agitation for the removal of the national chairman has also polarised different organs of the party, including the Board of Trustees (BoT), Governors Forum, NWC ,as well as the National Executive Committee (NEC)
While some party bigwigs have equally argued that Ayu should stay as national chairman until after the 2023 general elections, others, including the BoT chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, have said it was unfair for the PDP to go to the general elections with all key leaders from the North.
Barring any last-minute change, the PDP national caucus and NWC will meet on Wednesday, while the Board of Trustees ( BoT) and the National Executive Committee ( NEC) are scheduled to meet on Thursday to appraise the party’s state and make critical decisions regarding its presidential campaign.
Multiple sources told Daily Sun yesterday that ahead of the party organs’ meeting, NWC members and national officers loyal to the Wike group and those loyal to governors supporting Ayu were mobilising and preparing for a showdown.
Daily Sun reports that one of the PDP governors in the North East has also bought into the plot to replace the national chairman.
However, a member of the NWC told our correspondent that he was not aware of any plot by members of the party organ to move against Ayu.
“The truth of the matter is that I don’t think it has come to that. No doubt, we have issues, but we believe that leaders at a level that is higher than us will find a way to resolve things. It is not in the interest of the party. It could cause us the elections.”
When contacted, one of the PDP leaders from the South, who has been mentioned as a probable successor to Ayu, told Daily Sun that he believes power comes from God. Nevertheless, he said the PDP constitution must be obeyed in whatever the party does.
But Chief Ebenezer Babatope, the leader of the party in Osun State and former minister of transport, said in a telephone interview that the quest to replace Ayu should not lead to a crisis in the party.
“It should not cause any crisis, because we are a political party operating in a democracy. And I think by the Grace of God everything will be well. We are going to find a solution. The solution is that we want to win the election in the PDP. And by the Grace of God, we are going to win the election. We are going to have a solution. And by the time we have a solution, the party will be better for it.”
Efforts to reach the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba and Special Assistant on media to the PDP National Chairman, Simon Imobo-Tswam, did not respond to calls to their mobile phones.
