BREAKING: Wike, Others Pulls Out Of Atiku’s Campaign Council

The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seem to have taken another dimension as the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and his team propagating the Ayu-must-go move, have pulled out of the campaign Council of the party’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The team reached the decision in a meeting held at the country home of Wike in Port Harcourt, late Tuesday night. They vowed not to partake in Atiku’s campaign activities pending the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

Reading their resolution on behalf of the aggrieved party stalwarts, Chief Bode George, former Deputy National Chairman of the party, said;

“We resolve that we are deeply concerned by the division in our party. We are aware that over the years our party has developed conflict resolution mechanisms that guarantee inclusiveness. The published presidential campaign council list translates to putting the cat before the horse. The pertinent issue remains the resolution of the leadership which is a departure of “Senator Iyorchia Ayu must resign as the National Chairman of the party for an acting Chairman of the Southern Nigerian extraction to emerge and lead the party on the national campaign.

“Consequently, we resolve not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu”.

Also, A former Plateau State Governor, Senator Jonah Jang, said:

“For a National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu to go and embrace Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, calling him the hero of the convention meant that there was a private arrangement that was done with Tambuwal to shortchange other contestants including Governor Wike.

“Here was a referee, who helped one of his sides to score a goal and then blew the whistle. This is not what we formed the PDP to do for Nigerians. Therefore, we unequivocally ask that Ayu must step down”.

A former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, said;

“You cannot build on a faulty foundation. This call for the chairman to step down or resign is not because any of us is aggrieved but because we believe it is important to ensure a just, fair, principled and constitutional structure for the party. If we want to restructure Nigeria, we should have the courage to restructure our party”.

On his own part, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde said: “We hope that the powers that be listen to the voice of reason and do the needful.”