The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will take a major decision on Governor Nyesome Wike and his angry team members n(his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, ex-Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana) who have been insisting on the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, chairman, today.
Since the Wike group announced its decision to withdraw from the party’s presidential campaign council, the party called an emergency meeting after which the resolution on Wike and his fellow travellers will be made announced.
According to Debo Ologunagba, the party spokesman on Wednesday: “As a party, we need to take a firm position to rebuild and rebrand our party. We have been in a marathon meeting since morning (Wednesday). But one thing is clear, no one has rejected our presidential candidate; that is very important. The meeting will continue tomorrow (today) and after the meeting, we will make our position clear.”
Atiku, in a statement, also said: “On the calls for the resignation or removal from office of our national chairman, however, I must reiterate what I have said severally in public and in private; the decision for Dr Iyorchia Ayu to resign from office is personal to Dr Ayu and, neither I nor anyone else can make that decision for him.”
Atiku said he is a committed democrat and firm believer in the rule of law and democratic tenets and that everything must be done in line with the party’s constitution.
“As to the calls for the removal of Dr Ayu from office, however, I will state that, as a committed democrat and firm believer in the rule of law and democratic tenets, and our party being one set up, organised and regulated by law and our constitution, it is my absolute belief that everything that we do in our party must be done by, and conformity to, the law and our constitution,” he said.
Atiku insisted that if Ayu is removed from office, it must be done by the laws of the party.
In his words: “If Dr Ayu is to be removed from office, it must be done by the laws that set out the basis for such removal.
“In any event, you will all recall that the very body that is empowered by law to initiate this removal from office, has already passed a vote of confidence in him.”