PDP Crisis: Atiku Reveals Why Ayu Can’t Be Removed

The campaign of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has disclosed, the reason why the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, cannot be removed at this time.

The campaign spokesman, Charles Aniagwu, while speaking on Saturday on Arise TV, said the party was exploring better crisis resolution strategies to resolve the lingering crisis in the party and not focusing on removing Ayu.

According to Charles, in the party’s constitution, there is a hierarchy which selects the national chairman and the deputy from the same region, so even if the national chairman is removed, the deputy who’s also from the same region will take over, and nothing would be solved since they want someone from a different region.

Explaining the vote of confidence passed on Ayu, Aniagu said, “People may misinterpret it to mean calling the bluff of certain stakeholders but that is far from it because the party leadership examined the issues vis-a-vis the provisions of the party’s constitution as amended in 2017.”

He further explained that “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 hierarchy, the Deputy National Chairman who must also come from the same zone with the National Chairman is next in line.

“The third in line is the National Secretary and when you look at these positions, the National Chairman is from the North, the second in command is also from the North by the provision of the party’s constitution.

“In section 45 of the party’s constitution, 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 can organise another election or do an NEC meeting to be able to decide as to how to rearrange the hierarchy of the party,” he added

PDP Crisis

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and his allies, who have lamented the sidelining of the South in major positions of the party, had demanded Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s resignation as the party’s national chairman, amongst others, for the PDP to have peace.

Angered by calls for his resignation, Senator Ayu stated that those who want him out of office “are children.”

Ayu, who had in 2021 said he would resign as PDP national chairman if a northerner became the party’s presidential candidate, has stayed put despite the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate from Adamawa (north-east).