Ahead of the meetings of the Board of Trustees (BoT), and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, the cracks in the main opposition party have widened with the southern stakeholders mobilising against the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, THISDAY has learnt.
THISDAY gathered that the Rivers State governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike; Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Iyiola Omisore, also met in London at the weekend to explore the areas of collaboration ahead of the 2023 elections.
While Wike and Makinde are of the PDP, Fayemi is of the APC.
This is coming as Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, on Saturday clarified that he would not leave the main opposition party, explaining that his alliance with Wike was to negotiate better deals for the South-east.
The meetings were scheduled to decide the composition of the chairman and membership of the party’s presidential campaign council.
With the renewed calls for Ayu’s resignation, there was palpable tension within the camp of the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar following the accusation that he was shielding Ayu from resigning.
THISDAY gathered that the PDP stakeholders from the South, including the supporters of Wike, are mobilising for a showdown with Ayu’s supporters over his continued stay in office.
Investigations have also revealed that the role played at the party’s presidential primary by the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Bello Tambuwal, has made it difficult for the governors to unite and intervene on issues affecting the party.
The southern stakeholders are demanding that Ayu should relinquish his position for the South-west as a strategy against Senator Bola Tinubu’s presidential bid on the platform of the APC.
Investigation revealed that the demand for Ayu to step down is no longer seen as a campaign of Wike, but as a southern agenda.
A member of the NEC from the South who spoke to THISDAY off the record argued that with Atiku from the North-east, Ayu from the North-central and the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State from the North-west, the southern members of the party have been marginalised.
“There is nothing for the South other than the Office of the National Secretary held by Senator Samuel Anyanwu and the vice presidential candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa,” he told THISDAY.
“Ordinarily, the agitation that Ayu must step down should not necessarily be seen as a Wike’s agenda, but the need for the balancing of power and justice.
“This issue came up during the October 2021 National Convention and even Ayu openly said on ARISE NEWS Channel that he would step down if a northern presidential candidate emerged.
“It is not because of Wike. No, it is because of balancing and justice. It is to give the South a sense of justice and belonging. This is basically what the various organs of the party through the BoT, National Caucus and the NEC will decide before the ratification of the members of the presidential campaign council,” he added.
The source explained that Atiku’s camp has been thrown into panic because there is a strong suspicion that the presidential candidate is backing Ayu.
“This is the time for the presidential candidate to speak out and prove to Nigerians that he can take tough decisions. Atiku’s continued silence on the matter of agitation for Ayu to step down is not golden,” he said.
Another PDP stakeholder from the South told THISDAY that Ayu would bring only little value to the table.
“What is Ayu bringing into the campaigns that Atiku cannot sacrifice him? I can’t believe that Atiku is this weak to take a tough decision. Let us see how all these will go with the national caucus and NEC meetings.”
Also speaking on the issue, a former governor elected on the platform of the PDP said the manipulations and horse-trading that took place at the presidential convention and the nomination of Okowa as the vice presidential candidate have divided the once-united PDP governors forum.
The former governor noted that because of the role played by the Chairman of the PDP Governors, Tambuwal, a meeting of the party’s governors cannot be called to intervene on issues affecting the party.
The former governor said the governors have thrown their weights behind Atiku and Wike, stating that this is the time for the presidential candidate to step in and restore normalcy within the party members.
The former governor said it is a complete falsehood to think that there is no crisis at hand.
It was further gathered that the Governors of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde; Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Abia State, Dr.Okezie Ikpeazu; Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed and Benue State, Mr. Samuel Ortom have lined up behind Wike to insist that Ayu must go.
However, Okowa; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel; his counterparts in Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri have thrown their weight behind Atiku.
THISDAY learnt that the governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku is said to be sitting on the fence.
The trio of Wike, Ortom, and Makinde left Nigeria for London on Friday.
The trip to London, it was gathered was to conclude plans for their mobilisation for the NEC and national caucus meeting.
Wike, Makinde, Fayemi and Omisore were also said to have met in London to explore areas of collaboration ahead of the 2023 elections.
The source explained that other members of the group were expected to meet them at the London meeting Saturday.
A source close to the Wike camp simply told THISDAY that the members of the camp would not leave anything to chance.
“This is Atiku’s time to show leadership and he should not fail the party. He should weigh in on the matter before NEC and the outcome should be announced there.
“This is the hour of reckoning for Atiku and Ayu. But, if he should play the ostrich, we will help him to lose the election,” the source said.
THISDAY also learnt that Wike is not relenting in his bid to ensure that the NEC and national caucus of the party force Ayu to resign the same way Prince Uche Secondus was forced to vacate the seat as the national chairman.
It was learnt that a series of meetings have been lined up this week in the fight for the soul of the PDP.
“If the PDP survives these series of meetings unhurt, then it could be said that it can win the presidential election.
“This is because there are strong forces against Ayu and we live to see how he can survive it. It is either the PDP breaks or Ayu goes,” a chieftain of the party told THISDAY.
The source said that as of Thursday about 10 members of the National Working Committee (NWC) have signed that Ayu must go.
It was gathered that even other presidential aspirants that took part in the presidential primary are not happy with the Ayu-led NEC as nobody has reached out to them.
According to them, Atiku met only Tambuwal because he stepped down for him.
Wike, Ikpeazu’s Preferred Successors, Makinde Absent as Atiku Meets PDP Guber Candidates
Meanwhile, the PDP governorship candidate in Rivers State, Siminialayi Fubara, and his counterpart in Abia State, Uchenna Ikonne, were conspicuously absent when the presidential candidate of their party, Atiku, met with PDP 2023 guber candidates on Saturday.
Both Fubara and Ikonne had the backings of Governor Nyesom Wike and Okezie Ikpeazu to clinch the gubernatorial tickets in their states.
The meeting held at a time Wike and some governors are in London to deliberate on strategies needed to survive the crisis rocking the party.
Wike has been at loggerheads with the party leadership since he lost the presidential ticket to Atiku. The crisis worsened after Atiku picked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate, ignoring the recommendation of those who shortlisted Wike.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was also absent at the meeting which held in Abuja on Saturday.
Confirming the meeting on his Facebook page, the former vice president said it was to review the state of the nation and how the party could mobilize supporters and other Nigerians behind the party for the 2023 elections.
The PDP presidential candidate said: “Today, I met with the governorship candidates of the PDP at my residence in Abuja. It was an opportunity for us to x-ray the state of the nation and how as one, we can mobilise Nigerians for the task of ousting the ruling party and commencing the rebuilding of Nigeria.”
Some of those present at the gathering were governorship candidates of Kaduna, Plateau, Katsina, Lagos, Delta, Yobe, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Niger, Kano and Sokoto states.
Ikpeazu: I’m Not Leaving PDP, Just Concerned about South-east
Meanwhile, as controversy continues to trail the activities of Wike’s camp, Abia State governor, Ikpeazu, has said that he has no intention of leaving the party.
Ikpeazu, who spoke in a telephone interview with journalists on Saturday, said that what was important for him was for the PDP and Atiku to decide on how they are going to include the South-east in the scheme of things within the party.
Ikpeazu who stated that his party was willing to vote for the PDP in the February 23 presidential election, said that as of now, the PDP has not made clear what positions are available for the South-east, should the party emerge victorious in the 2023 election.
Ikpeazu stated that although they have engaged in different discussions with other parties, his focus remained on the PDP and how the South-east would be accommodated favourably after the elections.
According to the governor, “forget all talks of leaving the PDP. I am not leaving the PDP and I don’t think other governors are planning to do so. But the point is that the South-east was denied tickets for the presidency in both the PDP and APC. That leaves us unsure of where we are going, and what roles we will play after the 2023 elections. That is my concern. That is what I am fighting for. Our votes are for the PDP if we receive assurances of our position in 2023 from the PDP, where I belong in the first place.
“It is not about playing hard with the PDP. It is about knowing what we will be given after the elections. These are things we need to sort out early before we commit to anybody. It is not enough for us to vote for the party. It is about where we are going to be positioned after the election. You don’t run blind in politics. Yes, truly, we are not happy with the outcome of the primaries but that does not mean I am planning to leave the PDP. That does not mean my faith is shaken in the party. But it is about working things out properly. That is my concern. The South-east cannot continue to be treated as an outsider in the politics of the country. If we don’t have the presidency and the vice presidency, we are asking for something better, something good for the zone. We can’t just vote or deliver our state for the fun of it. We must be sure of why we are voting,” Ikpeazu explained
I Never Said Wike is Not His Children’s Father, Says Ayu
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the PDP, Ayu, has denied making disparaging remarks about Wike.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Ayu distanced himself from social media posts which quoted him as demeaning the Rivers State helmsman.
Ayu, who posted some of the screenshots on his Twitter account, described the comments as “mischievous and senseless”.
“One post, from one Lawal Garba, purporting to be from me states that I said I cannot talk to a man who “cannot father a child!”
“Another post, with a photograph of Wike and a lady with some children claims that the governor is not “the biological father of his three kids.”
Ayu said nothing can be more diabolical and amateurish, adding that descending low is neither in his character nor nature.
The opposition leader noted that those planting the stories against the PDP and him were showing their lack of intelligence.
“I state, categorically and without equivocation, that the posts are completely false. Even the inelegant construction of the posts puts them beneath my personality.
“I never said anything after Wike’s statements the other day and do not intend to say anything in response”, the statement added.
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
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