2023: Northern PDP elders back Ayu

ELDERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the northern part of the country rose from a meeting in Kaduna on Friday with a resolution to give its backing to Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to continue as the national chairman of the party. 

A section of PDP members, especially in the South, has been calling for Ayu’s resignation to pave way for a chairman of Southern extraction to take over since the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is from the North. 

Rising from a stakeholder meeting in Kaduna on Friday, the chairman of the PDP elders group, Dr Nasiru Aliyu Sadauki, contended that in order to give peace a chance, there was the need for all stakeholders to sheathe their swords for PDP to progress and unite ahead of the inauguration of the Atiku/Okowa campaign council. 

According to the group, the party leaders should face important issues of economic condition, insecurity, poverty, educational crisis and other challenges that are threatening Nigeria’s unity and cohesion rather than majoring in minor issues like calling for the removal of the chairman. 

“There are issues on ground that need leaders to make sacrifice, offer solutions and relief to the public. No sensible party supporter will promote and seek Ayu’s exit in this time of expected cooperation, unity and understanding in the party. 

“Nigerians are tired of such media display of arrogance by a certain group of political elites in the country. Let us face issues and rebuke or disregard any political class that is more interested in seeming public sympathy rather than act to help rebuild the nation. 

“We wake up daily with news of unpleasant happenings in the country especially the killing, maiming and kidnapping of our fellow Nigerians including women and children which the All Progressives Congress (APC)- led government has failed to nip in the bud.

“To our surprise, our party is talking about “Ayu must go” and “South will not agree” which are issues that could be resolved amicably behind the curtains. 

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“PDP crisis is surely a setup intended to destroy every good and positive transformation of the Ayu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. 

“Those fanning the ember of disunity, cohesion and progress of PDP are doing so to create confusion that may make Nigerians reconsider the APC. 

“We call on PDP supporters within and outside the country to unite and support the leadership of the party under Dr Iyorchia Ayu to collectively rescue and rebuild our country from the ruins of the APC. 

“The inability of APC-led government to resolve the lingering issue of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) alone is enough to see the reason for all of us to work together with the party leadership to ensure APC is sent packing in 2023. 

“We, however, advise the Ayu-led National Executive Council (NEC) to immediately swing into action to unite the party before the commencement of the campaigns to ensure we offer greater hope for the survival of Nigeria ahead of the 2023 elections.”

Atiku on business trip to Europe 

Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, has left the shores of Nigeria for a business visit to Europe. The former vice president’s media adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, said in a statement on Friday that his principal would be travelling immediately after a meeting, alongside his running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, with the leadership of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in Lagos. 

Ibe said: “Today’s trip is in continuation of an earlier business trip of three weeks ago. “At the conclusion of his European trip, the former vice president will also use the opportunity to visit his family in Dubai.” 

He said Atiku’s trip was for business and family purposes and not for medicals as being insinuated in some quarters.