PDP Crisis: Why We Can’t Join Atiku’s Campaign Council – Wike Group
The crisis of confidence in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has worsened as a group backing Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has distanced their members from the campaign council recently constituted by the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Reiterating its commitment to ensuring a balanced membership of decision making positions of the PDP, between the South and the North, the PDP faction has insisted that the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, must resign.
The group rose from a meeting in Port Harcourt on Tuesday night rejecting their inclusion in the PDP Presidential Campaign (PCO) on account of the embattled Party chairman’s refusal to step aside as demanded by leaders of the party from the South.
Former National Deputy Chairman (South) of the party, Chief Olabode George, disclosed the position of the group in a communique issued at the end of meeting.
The meeting was attended by Wike, his counterparts, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue, Prof. Jerry Gana, a former minister of information; some former governors and governorship candidates of the PDP as well as other senior stakeholders of the party.
They affirmed that their position in the campaign council was untenable with Ayu refusing to resign.
The group maintained that the party boss must go to allow an acting National chairman of Southern extraction to emerge and lead the party on the presidential campaign.
“Consequently, we resolved not to participate in the council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu,” George read.
The group insisted that the campaign council list released by the party and its presidential candidate, which has the name of Wike, amounts to “putting the cart before horse”.
According to the group, “The published presidential campaign council list translates to putting the cart before horse, the pertinent issue remains the Ayu leadership,” George said.
“We therefore resolve that senator Iyorchia Ayu resigns as the national chairman for an acting chairman of southern Nigeria extraction.
“We resolved not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr Iyorchia Ayu”, the PDP faction stressed.
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