The plot to remove the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu as part of conditions to restore peace in the party may have thickened on Thursday.
Indications to that effect became stronger as the National Publicity Secretary of the Party Debo Ologunagba made passionate appeals to Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, stalwart of the party, Chief Bode George as well as other aggrieved members of the party, pleading with them to relax their hardline posture on the matter.
Speaking with journalists at an informal interactive session, the party’s spokesman said PDP will be courting more troubles for itself if it waived aside provisions of its own constitution in a bid to replace Senator Ayu with another officer from the south.
Ologunagba said those calling for Ayu’s removal are aware of the position of the PDP constitution and the crisis it could throw the party into with less than 7 months to elections in 2023.
He explained that going by the constitution of the party, even if Ayu is removed from office he will be replaced by the sitting Deputy National Chairman North Umar Damagum who is from Yobe State.
Ologunagba further emphasized that the PDP cannot afford to go into the 2023 election with such a major constitutional crisis.
It can be recalled that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and a former Deputy National Chairman South, Chief Bode George have in recent times joined in the call for the removal of Ayu as National Chairman on the grounds that the party cannot have both its National Chairman and Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar from the North.
