*PDP Nat’l Chair, Iyorchia Ayu fumes, says those calling for his resignation are children
*That some boys who don’t know how PDP was formed can’t cause problems for the party
*Insists he was elected chairman based on guidelines stipulated by the party
*Assures that crisis currently rocking PDP won’t affect its victory in 2023 general election
By Aaron Ossai with agency report
As crisis rocking the main opposition political party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP deepens, its National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu has declared that those calling for his resignation as National Chairman of the party are “children” insisting that he would not resign his position because he sees no reason for him to do so.
The PDP National Chairman who was quoted to have spoken in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Hausa service insisted that he was elected by party members on the guidelines stipulated by the party.
According to him, party leaders had agreed during the PDP’s National Convention that the party would not consider the zone where the party chairman hailed from when electing the presidential candidate.
“I was elected for a tenure of four years; I am yet to complete a year in the office. The election of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate did not bother the seat of the party chairman. I won the election and it is based on the party’s Constitution.
“I did not commit any offence, I am committed to my work, and I don’t bother about the noise going on,” Dr. Ayu was quoted to have said.
He was also said to have dispelled the fear that the crisis in the party involving the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike may cost the PDP victory in the 2023 general election.
“I co-founded the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Nigeria and some boys who don’t know how we struggled and what we went through can’t cause problems for the party.
“When we started the PDP, we did not know those boys, they were children and they don’t know why we founded the party. We will not agree with one person to come and destroy our party”, Ayu declared.
It would be recalled that the PDP National Chairman has been under pressure from a group of governors and former governors of the party, led by Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike to step down and allow a southerner take his position.
The governors had been complaining against the imbalance in the leadership of the party in which Ayu, the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the heads of the major organs of the party are all from the North.
The party leaders also accused Ayu of being a partial and divisive leader.
But responding to the demand on the programme of Wednesday morning, the PDP leader said those calling for his resignation are boys in the party who do not know how the party was formed.
