Tambuwal, Saraki Leading Candidates for Atiku Campaign DG as PDP Meets

Barring any unforeseen circumstance, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will hold its National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings in Abuja next week Wednesday and Thursday respectively, to ratify the Director General and other members of its Presidential Campaign Council.

This is coming on the heels of the declaration by the former Minister of Justice/Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke, that the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu is not interested in the party’s victory in next year’s presidential election and should step aside.
Three weeks ago, PDP’s National Caucus and NEC meetings were called off because of agitations by some stakeholders to remove Ayu on allegations that he was biased and had betrayed the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who lost to Atiku at the presidential primary.

Those in Wike’s camp, also argue that Ayu must step down in line with his earlier promise to do so should a presidential candidate of the party emerge from the North.

It was gathered that by going ahead with the NEC and Caucus meetings next week, the PDP might have called the bluff of Wike’s group who are insisting that Ayu should step aside to make way for a national chairman from the South, preferably, the South-west zone.

As things are in the PDP, it is not certain whether the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State would be unveiled as the Chairman of the Presidential Campaign Council or Bukola Saraki, a former senate president, who is favoured by Wike’s camp.

So far, the party’s Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has resisted pressure to move against Ayu. It is equally not certain that he would accept Saraki as his campaign DG, because, according to sources, he wants to compensate Tambuwal for stepping aside for him to win the ticket.

Adoke: Ayu Interested in Self-preservation

Meanwhile, Adoke yesterday intensified the campaign for the resignation of Ayu, arguing that “the National Chairman is not showing that he is interested in the party’s victory in next year’s elections.”

Amid the calls for his resignation, Ayu, while speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, said those demanding that he should step down were children.
“When we started the PDP journey, we did not see these children. They are children who do not know why we established this party,” he said.

In a response yesterday, Adoke said, “Ayu’s statement is rather unfortunate and goes to show that he is more interested in self-preservation than the party winning the 2023 presidential election.

“I think he has grudges or scores to settle with the party’s candidate and as such would rather see to his defeat than help him win the election. If otherwise, why is he so determined to destroy the party by dividing rather than uniting it?
“Atiku should smell the coffee and take charge so this agent of destruction would not lead him and the party to doom.

“Wike is not the problem of the party. People should stand up and speak the truth rather than engage in doublespeak and name calling.”
Adoke is an ally of Wike of Rivers State, who is leading the campaign for Ayu’s resignation.
Wike and his associates are demanding that the PDP national chairman should step down as a precondition for resolving the rift with Atiku.
They are angry that Atiku refused to pick Wike as his running mate and also openly disparaged him.

Also, this week, the former deputy national chairman of the PDP, Bode George also demanded that Ayu step down.

George said, “We can only go back to Aso Rock if we are united and not divided. The people that are abusing Wike that he is a trouble shooter, those abusing him, as an elder, as a father in this party, I am directing him to stop immediately because Wike is only fighting for Justice, for equity and fairness in our party.

“He is a strong pillar in this party, a mobiliser, a financier and an actualiser.”

Chuks Okocha

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