…BoT sets up committee to interface with Atiku, Wike
… As Wike’s group boycott meeting, insists Ayu must step aside
By Agunwa Uzendu, Abuja
All is not yet uhuru in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its Board of Trustees on Wednesday moved to avoid impending implosion in the party following the call for the resignation of Senator Iyorchia Ayu, as National Chairman.
Recall that the Southern caucus led by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike had asked Ayu to respect the agreement earlier reached before the National Convention when the party decided to throw open its Presidential tick. All parties had agreed then that if the Presidential candidate emerges from the North, the Chairman will immediately vacate his seat for a Southerner, an agreement Ayu and his cohorts are finding very difficult to honour.
At the meeting which was held at the NEC hall of the PDP National secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, it was gathered that the pro-Wike group boycotted the meeting, insisting that they will not attend any meeting of the party until Ayu gives way.
Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi who briefed journalists shortly after the meeting said the BoT has realized the urgent need to set up a reconciliation meeting with Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.
“We discussed the crisis between our presidential candidate and Governor Nyesom Wike. In getting it resolved, we set up a committee of the Whole to urgently interface with the two of them.
“We have set up in this meeting, committee of the BoT to be able to interface between warring factions, particularly the acrimony that is taking place between the presidential candidate and governor Wike and any other conflict that is taking place in the nation within our party formation.
“The committee is the committee of the Whole, that means every other BoT member is a member of the committee. I cannot tell you the grievances and the time frame.
“On Ayu stepping down, we have not even discussed any issue of anybody stepping down. We discussed what we discussed, and what we discussed is what I told you.”
However, a member of the BoT who spoke to our reporter on the condition of anonymity said there was a little disagreement on the way forward in handling the Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike crisis, and especially the call by Wike’s men for Iyorchia Ayu to step aside.
“See, my dear brother, we need to handle this whole issues with care, otherwise we are toying with 2023 elections. We need to tell ourselves the truth. Presidential candidate, North, BoT Chairman, North and National Chairman of the party, North. We should face the reality.
“Now, the above issues were raised, some are saying Wike is just one man, they forgot that he is a governor of a state, a powerful one for that matter. Based on some of these submissions, a committee of a Whole was set up to interface with the warring factions.”
A source told our correspondent that a select members of BoT will Wednesday night hold a private meeting with PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over the lingering crisis.
According to the source, Atiku will be persuaded to listen to Wike faction’s demand that Ayu must resign for a place for a Southern national chairman.