PDP In Dilemma Over Wike Group
The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, is in dilemma over what to do with the group of stakeholders pushing for the resignation if Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of the party.
The group, led by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, pulled out of the party ‘s presidential campaign council on Wednesday.
Recall the Wike group rose from its meeting on Wednesday morning declaring via a resolution that It would not be taking part in the PDP presidential campaign unless the National Chairman of the party resigns…….Continue Reading
But the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, responded immediately via a statement that the timing of the call for Ayu’s resignation was wrong, adding that he had no power to request his ouster.
On Thursday, the mood at the national headquarters of the party was full of anxiety with party stakeholders divided over the best possible way out of the impasse.
With the anti-Ayu camp being a formidable group, some party stakeholders argue Ayu should resign for peace to reign and for the attainment of the immediate objective.
A member of the National Working Committee who pleaded anonymity confirmed that there’s a sharp division in the party and a huge dilemma has descended on the party.
“There’s confusion. There’s dilemma on the next line of action. As an NWC member from the South South, I owe my loyalty to the South. That’s why most of us did not turn up for the National Executive Council, NEC, meeting a week ago.”
The NEC meeting had passed a vote of confidence on Ayu. The meeting was attended by Atiku, his running mate and Govenor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa and other top members of the party.
It was largely boycotted by top party members from North Central and the South.
The source said with “Wike, governors of Oyo, Enugu, Abia, Benue and former Ministers and senators and current senators from Cross River, Plateau, Niger, Edo, Kogi, Ondo, Ekiti, and many others in Wike camp, I don’t know how the party can proceed with Ayu in power.”
Asked what the direct implication would be with the presidential election campaign one week away, he said, “It means we can’t campaign in those states. That’s the meaning.
“We are divided like in 2013/2014 when we lost the presidential election even with a sitting president in 2015.”
While the spokesman of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, was not available for comment, messages sent to the presidential spokesman of the party, Daniel Bwala, were not responded to as at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile the opposition camp within the party has begun separate meetings within their states to bolster their resolve not to join the presidential election campaign of the party.
One of the meetings is already in progress in Rivers State and being chaired by the govenor of the state, sources have confirmed to journalists.
It was gathered that the meeting was part of the agreement reached within the camp during the meeting in Port Harcourt that each state must hold its meeting to inform their members about the development, agreement and strategies on how things would be done with Ayu still in power.
Those attending are party leaders, members of the state executive council, the party’s local government chairmen and selected stakeholders.
There will be similar meetings in Abia, Enugu, Oyo, Benue, sources in the opposition camp in the meeting have said.
Sources at the PDP national office in Abuja confirmed to THE WHISTLER that some members of the national executives of the party with loyalty to the Wike camp have flown home to take part in the meetings in Port Harcourt and others will do so when other states hold theirs
