Wike, Makinde absent as PDP NEC passes vote of confidence on Ayu

The national executive committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday passed a vote of confidence in the national working committee (NWC) led by the chairman Iyorchia Ayu.

The minority leader of the House of Representatives Ndudi Elumelu moved the motion of confidence of Ayu and the PDP NWC at the NEC meeting.

The Guardian gathered that the motion was seconded by Ishola Balogun-Fulani, a PDP member from Kwara state.

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Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde and Abia State governor Okezie Ikpeazu were among the absentees at the NEC meeting.

During the meeting, Walid Jibrin who served as chairman of the PDP board of trustees announced that he was stepping down. He was replaced by Adolphus Wabara.

Jibrin has held the position for six years after taking over from Haliru Bello who was removed in 2016.

The resignation and appointment of the new BoT chairman come after weeks of protests within the PDP over lopsidedness of key positions in the party.

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Aggrieved PDP members said other regions of the country are marginalised in the party, stating that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party, is from Adamawa (north-east); Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the party, is from Benue (north-central); and Jibrin hails from Nasarawa (north-central).

The calls for resharing key positions were initiated by allies of Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike who was opposed to a northern presidential candidate for the 2023 election after an eight-year tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner from Katsina State.

Wike’s camp specifically wants the PDP chairman to resign his position for an even sharing of positions in PDP.

Despite protests seeking his resignation, Ayu insists that he is holding an elective position as PDP chairman in accordance with the party constitution.

At the NEC meeting, Elumelu commended Ayu and members of the NWC for working to ensure that the PDP wins the Osun governorship election.

“Osun was impossible, but God, through you people, made it possible,” Elumelu said commending the Ayu-led PDP NWC.

“We must learn to forgive one another. All of us cannot be chairman, or presidential candidates, but together, we can lead. If only we can be patient, we can lead.”

PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar said the party will resolve its crisis and win the 2023 elections.

“Family disagreements are normal. We are determined to resolve those internal disagreements. Disagreement should be removed within the party’s constitution and the rules guiding the party,” Atiku said.

Wabara urged members to stay united and mind their utterances.

“The PDP has an inbuilt mechanism to solve problems. We have done it several times. When people expect us to implode, that is when we become very glorious,” Wabara said.