Following rumours that he had resigned his position, the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, said he had no plans of doing so.
He said he had neither resigned nor does he have any plan to do so in the foreseeable future. His denial came amid increasing tension in the party over ongoing talks between Atiku and aggrieved party members sympathetic to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
Since the election of former vice president, Abubakar Atiku, there have been intensified moves by some aggrieved members of the party for Ayu’s replacement by a candidate from the South.
They argued that the party’s flag bearer for the 2023 presidential poll and the national chairman cannot come from the same geo-political zone. They want Ayu replaced by a candidate from the south for the purpose of equity and political equation balance.
Ayu’s resignation has been a major condition in the agenda of supporters of Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, who have continued to oppose Atiku’s candidature after the former president failed to pick him as running mate. Wike came second during the party’s presidential primary.
But in a surprise response yesterday, Ayu bluntly put to rest speculations about his fate when in a tweet, he declared that he will not resign. Apparantly, he was reacting to a report that said he has succumbed to pressure and submitted his letter of resignation.
The tweet by his Media Aide, Simon Imobo-Tswam, said: “The PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, has not resigned and has no plan of resigning.
“For clarity and emphasis, he was elected for a tenure of four years.”
The statement read in part: “We state, with all emphasis, that this story is, in its entirety, false, baseless, reckless, inaccurate, and a complete work of fiction. If Dr. Ayu had resigned, he would give his resignation letter to the Deputy Chairman (North); not Senator Mark. Section 45 (i and ii) of the party’s constitution is clear on this.
“So, where does Distinguished Senator David Mark come in here, being that he is not even a member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC)? It appears that those who have been procured to blackmail the national chairman out of office are not even aware of what the party’s constitution says about the matter…
“The national chairman is on a crucial assignment: to lead the PDP on a historic rescue mission, Come February 2023. And he will not be deterred or distracted by … political blackmail. We restate, therefore, that the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has not resigned and has no plan of resigning. For clarity and emphasis, he was elected for a tenure of four years.
“Sections 45 and 47 of the PDP constitution is clear on the removal and/or resignation of the national chairman. Those who don’t know this should get copies of the party’s constitution for more information on the matter.”
Besides Wike’s supporters, the Kano State chapter of the party also called for Ayu’s resignation.
At a recent press conference, the state chairman, Shehu Sagagi while calling for Ayu’s resignation, drew attention the national chairman’s promise in Bauchi to resign his position should the presidential candidate of the party emerge from the North.
“This is somebody who promised to resign his position if the Presidential candidate of the party emerges from the North, hence the reason why we are calling on him to resign in fulfillment of the earlier promise,” he said. Sagagi did not indicate if he was in alliance with Wike’s supporters.
Another group, the Rebrand 8 in a statement made available to the press, also joined the calls for Ayu’s resignation. The national chairman of the group, Prince Benedict Onyewuenyi had asked Ayu to resign to enable the party “move forward” ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In the statement, Onyewuenyi said among others that: “The position of the National Chairman of our Party has raised a lot of fray nerves since the Chairman’s public proclamation that he will resign should the Presidential candidate come from the North, especially Alh. Atiku Abubakar before the Party’s special National Convention.
“We, therefore, suggest he toes the step of honour to resign and a replacement should be made, going by the rotation of the Chairmanship seat to the South and the Presidential seat to the North as reflected in the Party bye-law.”
Ayu’s response to calls for his resignation came on a day members of Atiku and Wike camps were said to be holding a reconciliation meeting to end the standoff between the two principals.
Though it was not immediately known how Wike and his supporters reacted to Ayu’s public reminder that he was elected for four years, watchers of the cold war between Atiku and Wike believe it was a tacit rebuke of those he considers as mischief makers in the party.
They also say Ayu’s refusal to resign may stoke up the crisis between Atiku and Wike as the anti-Ayu’s group believes Atiku and the national chairman are allies who have adjudged Wike as not fit for a presidential running mate. This is because, Wike’s supporters will consider Ayu’s insistence that he was elected for fours and therefore any call for his resignation was premature as an affront.
Yet, some political analysts consider Ayu’s response as bold and timely. They argued that it will send the right signal to those championing the campaign for his removal that the rule of law exists in the party and the party’s constitution remains sacred and must be observed. They say, more importantly, it shows that Ayu is not scared and was determined to lead the party through the 2023 general elections.