The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, has found himself at the centre of the face-off between the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, which is tearing the main opposition party apart, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The crisis worsened on Wednesday when two associates of Mr Wike, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, and a former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, publicly expressed their reluctance to back their party’s presidential candidate for the general election, according to Premium Times.
While Mr Ortom said he was still awaiting God’s direction on his decision on the issue, Mr Fayose declared that Mr Wike would not support Atiku.
Although both men hinged their grievances on alleged unfair treatment and disrespect of Mr Wike by the presidential candidate in the process of the nomination of Atiku’s running mate, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the main contention at this point concerns the party’s national chairman, Mr Ayu.
Mr Wike’s camp has demanded that Mr Ayu relinquish his position so that the party can elect a new chairman from the southern part of the country.
They said Mr Ayu’s removal from the party’s chairmanship is necessary to address the lop-sidedness in the PDP hierarchy.
But Atiku is backing Mr Ayu to stay on, at least until after the elections next year, those familiar with the matter said.
According to a member of the camp, as the party made to elect Mr Ayu as chairman, the leaders agreed that in the event of a northern presidential candidate emerging, the former Senate President, who is from Benue State in the North Central zone, would resign and make way for a southern substitute.
Atiku’s victory at the primary had given the northern wing of the party all the top positions in the party with Mr Ayu as national chairman and Walid Jubrin as chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees. The deputy national chairman (North), Umar Damagun, being from the same region, is next in line to Mr Ayu and takes responsibility whenever the chairman is not available.
Thus, when Atiku paid a visit to Mr Wike shortly after he won the primary, the Rivers governor reminded him of the need to ask Mr Ayu to step down.
“During the visit, Wike and Atiku held a private meeting and it was Atiku who brought up the issue of his running mate,” a source in Mr Wike’s camp told PREMIUM TIMES.
“He told Wike that he had not made up his mind on the issue and he asked Wike whether he would take it or nominate a person to take the slot. Wike told Atiku that he would need to consult with his people on the offer.
