Adedokun Waliyu 
Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, yesterday, explained why the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, explored different options from what Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and other stakeholders proffered in resolving the crisis rocking the party.
The Campaign also said the sacking of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, would create constitutional crisis for the party, which would snowball into greater problems than what the party was currently faced with.
“The main issue being canvassed by the stakeholders, it said, was the stepping down of the National Chairman which, according to it, has now overtaken by events, following the vote of confidence by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
“People may misinterpret it to mean calling the bluff of certain stakeholders but that is far from it because the party leadership examined the issues vis-a-vis the provisions of the party’s Constitution as amended in 2017″, spokesperson for the Campaign, Mr Charles Aniagwu, stated.
“When you look at that Constitution, there are principal officers called the National Working Committee of the party led by the National Chairman and in the order of hierarchy, the Deputy National Chairman who must also come from same zone with the National Chairman is next in line.
“The third in line is the National Secretary and, when you look at these positions, the National Chairman is from the North, the second in command is also from the North by virtue of the provision of the party’s Constitution.
“In Section 45 of the party’s Constitution, in the event of removal or resignation of the National Chairman, the National Deputy Chairman takes over and acts in the position of that National Chairman pending when the party is able to organise another election or do a NEC meeting to be able to take a decision as to how to rearrange the hierarchy of the party.”
Anigwu, who featured on an Arise News programme, said because the positions were elective positions, even if Ayu were to step down for power to come to the South, the provisions of the Constitution of the party would also be offended”, the spokesperson said.
That can only happen if you can also take a decision to remove the Deputy National Chairman of the party who the lot immediately falls on by provisions of the law.
“Even if the party is able to solve that puzzle by bringing both National Chairman and Deputy to South, the third person in the hierarchy of the National Working Committee of the party is the National Secretary and that is in the South specifically Senator Samuel Anyanwu from Imo State.
“Now if you decide to bring this two positions to the South, have you also made arrangements to take the National Secretary to the North? Because of these legal impediments, the party examined it that, given the time that we have which is just about six months to the general elections, that it may likely snowball into some form of crisis that could trigger a whole lot of discomfort within the party if we proceed to begin to make these changes that there is the tendencies that the party may be embroiled in a crisis that would be worse than the one we are seeing at the moment.
“That greater crisis is what the ruling APC is waiting to happen but the leadership of the party is intelligent enough and am happy that Governor Nyesom Wike and other leaders appreciate the need for the party to move as a whole into the 2023 general elections.”
He further said it was on the basis of this that the party decided to look at what was possible at the moment and that gave room for the resignation of Senator Walid Jibrin and subsequent emergence of Senator Adolphus Wabara as Chairman Board of Trustees.
“The emergence of Wabara in the South to join the Vice presidential candidate and National Secretary had created some form of balance in the interim”, Aniagwu said.
“But what is most important is that there is a bigger elephant here which is winning the 2023 general elections because Nigerians are looking up to the PDP to rescue the nation from where we are at the moment.
“I am convinced that our leaders who have been craving for these changes would appreciate the fact that the party is listening but because of time probably when the party may have won the elections in 2023 by the grace of God, we can now proceed to make some of these alterations that may not be injurious to our quest to win the general elections.”
“On the performance of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the value he brings to the ticket as vice-presidential candidate, Aniagwu, who is Information Commissioner in Delta State, said Okowa had performed tremendously with his 5-point agenda, adding that job creation through skill acquisition had been profound.
The spokesperson noted Okowa had improved the standard of living of the people by reducing poverty in state which attracted National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) ranking as the second least poor state in the counry in 2018.
On infrastructural development, he said Okowa has constructed well over 1,833km of roads with over 900km of drains across the three Senatorial Districts.
“But what is most important to us is what we have done in the creeks of Delta, area that where hitherto referred to as very difficult terrains to develop, we have made a whole lot of impact in that region which is why we are enjoying a whole lot of peace in the Niger Delta,”Amiagwu said.
“For a very long time now we have been able to ensure that our brothers and sisters in the creeks are carried along and this is one the things that our principal the Presidential candidate saw and said I need a partner who is progressive in nature.
“A partner that can address the issues of the youths and a partner that can help address the issues of unity of our country because Delta is a microcosm of Nigeria where you have diverse ethnic groups.
“When we live in unity as a country, you will discover that we will return to winning ways, all these other symptomatic malaise in our country will be solved, because issue of corruption, bad economy, insecurity, they happen because our diversity was badly mismanaged by the APC.
No retreat no surrender, the right thing must be done, Wike insists
On his part, Wike, yesterday, said he and his allies were not dampened by the PDP leadership’s confidence vote passed on Ayu to continue as National Chairman, insisting the right thing must be done.
The Rivers governor, at the reception held in Port Harcourt for decampees from other political parties into PDP in the state, said his camp will not fight and retreat on the battle fueled by differences over stakes sharing in the party ahead of the 2023 general elections with Wike and allies apparently alienated.
He said, “I was listening and watching, they said there is one man they call Secondus. They said he was dancing, celebrating that NEC gave their person vote of confidence. He forgets history.
“Ask him the same NEC through Aliyu Babangida moved a motion of vote of confidence supported by the same person, Ndudi Elumelu. They gave you (Secondus) a vote of confidence, what happened? You left office.
“We don’t fight and go back. If you like you can have as many 20 votes of confidence, it’s not my business. My business is to make sure the right thing is done, and the right thing must be done. Whether today or tomorrow.”
