The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has heightened following the discovery of a plot to oust its national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.
The country’s main opposition party became divided shortly after the emergence of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate of Atiku Abubakar, the party’s 2023 Presidential flag-bearer despite the selection of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, by a 17-member advisory committee set up by the party to search for a vice presidential candidate.
This development has caused a strong division amongst the Governors and it manifested last week when only two out of the 13 governors of the party were present at the inauguration of the party’s campaign council for Osun State governorship election.
Wike and his Benue counterpart and ally, Samuel Ortom, on the other hand, are said to be behind the plot to remove Ayu.
It was gathered that Ayu started having serious problems within the party as Wike’s loyalists believe he influenced the Okowa’s emergence.
Some sources within the party disclosed that Ortom was very unhappy with Ayu and accused him of ‘betrayal’ as he(ortom) played a vital role in his emergence as the Party’s chairman.
However, the party issued a statement last week denying rumours that Ayu had been suspended on allegations of financial mismanagement.
The statement was signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.
“It is clear that the false report is the handiwork of vicious anti-people forces who are agitated by the stability, unity, and soaring popularity of our party under the cohesive Sen. Dr. Ayu-led National Working Committee as well as the intimidating statures of our presidential and vice presidential candidates, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, and His Excellency, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa respectively.”
“Such report is completely false and a product of the imagination of mischief-makers with the intent to destabilise our party.”, the statement read in part.
According to Independent Newspaper, a party chieftain who spoke on condition of anonymity on the matter confirmed that the plot was real adding that a new angle has been introduced as some stakeholders and party members are protesting that the Party’s Presidential Candidate and National Chairman can not come from the same region.
“The plot to remove the national chairman is real. He has been secretly meeting with some prominent personalities to avert it. Also, just like the governors are divided, the National Working Committee of the party are also divided as those sympathetic to Wike are unhappy with Ayu and they want him out.”
“The same pattern they used in removing Secondus from office is also being adopted. Having realised that he has refused to resign after Atiku emerged, they will accuse him of misappropriation while those against him in the NWC will pass a vote of no confidence in him. If they are in the majority and they get the support of most of the governors, I don’t see how he will survive it.”
“However, those plotting his removal will have a hard time because unlike in Secondus case when the governors were on the same page, they are not united this time around as some of the governors and party leaders have insisted that Ayu will lead the party to the 2023 general elections”.
