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…Party searches for Ayu’s replacement
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
There is anxiety in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the opposition party awaits the judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
The PDP candidate in the election, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, is challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, President Bola Tinubu, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the election.
Sunday Sun reliably gathered that after the 2023 general elections, the PDP had put all major activities, including reconciliation and sanctions for errant members in abeyance, pending the outcome of the PEPT verdict.
Inside sources said this was because the tribunal verdict, which ever way it goes, will have great impact on the PDP going forward.
Prior to the polls, five PDP governors, four of whom completed their tenure recently, had fallen out with the leadership of the opposition party. The G-5 governors, which consists of Nyesom Wike, Rivers; Samuel Ortom, Benue; Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu and Seyi Makinde, Oyo; and their supporters distanced themselves from the presidential campaigns and other party functions. However, Makinde has started attending party functions again.
The G-5 Governors, who were aggrieved over the nomination of Atiku and Ifeanyi Okowa as the presidential and vice presidential candidates had demanded the replacement of Iyorchia Ayu with a Southerner as national chairman. A demand the party refused to accede to. The rift within the opposition party is believed to be among the factors that led to PDP’s loss in the 2023 polls.
Nevertheless, shortly after the general election, Ayu was suspended from the PDP by his ward in Benue State. He was promptly replaced by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Umar Damagum. The former Senate President’s suspension from the PDP was later affirmed by a Benue State high court.
However, since the conclusion of the election, the PDP has been searching for direction; just as the party’s national secreatariat, Wadata Plaza, which used to be a beehive of activities is gradually becoming a ghost yard.
Last month, the National Working Committee (NWC) convened a meeting of select stakeholders to discuss the way forward for the opposition party. However, the major gladiators in the PDP crisis, including Atiku, Wike, Okowa and former Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, was conspicuously absent at the meeting.
The party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, while addressing the party leaders, had said that the parley was convened to jump-start the reconciliation process, in the aftermath of the last general elections.
Nevertheless, inside sources told Sunday Sun that PDP leaders were sharply divided on how to proceed in the reconciliation of aggrieved members.
It was gathered that the stakeholders were divided over calls for reconciliation, as well as sanctions for members believed to have engaged in anti-party activities during the last election.
A member of the PDP NEC told Sunday Sun that while some stakeholders called for sanctions against errant members, others believe that the decision on whether to reconcile with party leaders accused of anti-party activities or to sanction them should be kept on hold.
According to him, it was eventually resolved that the party should focus on the case before the presidential election petition tribunal.
He said: “The reason is simple. The party is anticipating a rerun. You cannot be expecting a rerun of the presidential election and be talking about sanctions against members.”
Like the issue of discipline, the appointment of a substantive national chairman has also been put on hold, pending the outcome of the Atiku’s petition at the PEPT. In accordance with the PDP Constitution, the North-central caucus is expected to nominate a replacement for Ayu, who is from the zone.
Section 46(6) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) stipulates that “where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”
Regardless, there are indications that PDP leaders have commenced a search for a new national chairman. A top party source told Sunday Sun that leaders of the PDP in the North-central are already building a consensus around former Senate President, Bukola Saraki as a replacement for Ayu.
According to him, “the stakeholders are building a consensus around Saraki. The NWC and other top leaders of the party have agreed that it should be Saraki. But it is the North-central caucus that will write to the NWC. No other caucus can interfere. But they will just air their views.
“Stakeholders believe that Saraki is intellectually endowed. They believe that Saraki who has been a former governor can easily rally former governors and current governors. They believe that Saraki being a former Senate President can easily rally former senators or former members of the National Assembly and the present national assembly members. They believe he can manage the party.”
However, he said that everyone believes that there is need to wait for the outcome of the petition before the PEPT.
According to him, “any person talking about any other thing now is like he is not supporting Atiku ‘s case. They are waiting for Atiku’s case in the court, so they don’t want anything to disturb the party now.
“The impression is that the PDP is in disarray. But that is not correct. The truth is that the PDP is managing its affairs pending the outcome of the case.”
The party leader added that the recent statement by Saraki’s supporters, saying the former Kwara governor is not interested in the chairmanship, is also because the former Senate President also wants to “ look very well before he leaps”.
However, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, told Sunday Sun, in a telephone interview, that the party has commenced reconciliation processes, while it waits for the verdict of PEPT.
Ologunagba explained that the party has been meeting with critical stakeholders, as part of efforts to move the party forward.
The PDP spokesman added that the party would comply fully with its constitution, when the process to replace the immediate past national chairman begins. He stated that reconciliation is also one of the processes in choosing a new leader.
According to him, “reconciliation is an ongoing process. We have met with state chairmen, select committee of elders, stakeholders, we have met with members of the National Assembly. These are all reconciliation moves. We have also met with the governors.
“It is not only when we announce on the pages of newspapers that we are doing reconciliation that there is a reconciliation. Yes, the case is in court, but there are critical stakeholders that we have been having conversations with. So, we are on course with the reconciliation. Reconciliation is not what you do in the city square.”
