Victor EzejaFollowing the crisis currently rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Board of Trustees has urged the party national chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, to give a firm assurance that he would resign after 2023 general elections.
This was part of a resolution reached at the PDP BoT meeting held on Friday, October 14, 2022.
The Friday’s meeting chaired by the PDP BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara was to among other things review the reports of a reconciliation committee it inaugurated to intervene and resolve the internal conflicts between some of the governors and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.
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Rivers State Governor, Nyesonm Wike and other four governors Samuel Ortom, Seyi Makinde, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Benue, Oyo, Abia and Enugu respectively, have been demanding the resignation of the party national chairman, claiming that it was an agreement before the primaries that when the presidential candidate emerges from the north, the office should go to the south and vice versa.
The five governors and some members of the PDP National Working Committee were conspicuously absent during the presidential campaign flag off in Uyo Akwa Ibom State on Monday.
While hosting PDP governorship candidate, and others from Cross River State in his private residence in Port Harcourt on Wednesday night, Governor Wike said all he was demanding was that the office of the national chairman should go to the south since the presidential candidate in the person of Atiku Abubakar has emerged from the north.
“All I am saying and will continue to say is you have taken president, give us national chairman. Nobody wants to speak the truth.
“If I am saying remove the presidential candidate, remove vice presidential candidate, then you will say why is he doing this. He (Ayu) said, if the presidential candidate comes from the north, he will resign, which means he has had this in mind. Now, the thing has come to reality, now resign, he says no. And people are saying go and talk to Wike.
“I’ve accepted the presidential candidate, accepted the vice presidential candidate, what’s the problem again? You, fulfil your part. Let the south have something, that is all I’m preaching. You cannot have presidential candidate, national chairman, director general of the campaign” Wike stated on Wednesday night.
The resolution signed by the BoT Chairman, Wabara among other things, indicated that the chairman has on behalf of the party, been authorized to tender apologies to all who have been offended by the utterances of the members nationwide which contributed to the recent division within the party.
The BoT also called on all party leaders to desist from further making inflammatory remarks capable of deepening the crisis.
The statement reads, “The BoT called on all party leaders and persons close to them to desist forthwith from making further inflammatory remarks or press interviews
“Called on the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum to convene a meeting of the forum without further delay.
“Called on all leaders of the Party to match words with action and where commitments are made to unconditionally fulfill same.
“Urged the National Chairman as an eminent leader, to give a firm assurance that he will resign his position after the 2023 election. In the same vein, the BoT Chairman has been authorized to offer apologies on behalf of all members who feel maligned or aggrieved by the public statements made by its members nationwide that has sharpened the current division in the Party.”
The BoT also called on the Presidential Candidate to review membership of the Presidential Campaign Council, and other advisory appointments to make it more inclusive.
The BoT said it would refer some of the recommendations it made to the party National Executive Committee (NEC) for “noting and appropriate action” in due course.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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