The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is scheduled to meet during the course of this week to deliberate on the crisis rocking the party.
The meeting is part of a larger plan to rescue the campaign of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, following the boycott of its campaign by some aggrieved governors of the party.
The advisory body is worried by the growing feud between the party and loyalists of the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, and may ask the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign, according to The Punch.
Although details of the meeting and date were sketchy as of the time of filing this report, the immediate past PDP BoT chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, while disclosing this development on Monday, October 3, said that members of the board were truly disturbed as the crisis showed no sign of abating.
Jibrin said that, “There is a BoT meeting this week but I don’t know the date yet.
“What we are interested in is that we must speak with one voice and stay with the party’s plans and objectives to enable us to win the elections in 2023.
“We must encourage our members to rally other Nigerians to come out and vote for Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi Okowa,” he added.
Against the backdrop of calls for Ayu to resign, the BoT is expected to take a categorical stand on the matter, including possible demand for Ayu’s removal in the interest of the party.
Jibrin enjoined party organs to remain united even as he took a swipe at the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) over what he called the “division” in its fold.
Jibrin stated that, “We must not allow division in PDP. What we are witnessing in the NWC is not encouraging.
“All other organs must understand that the party constitution is supreme.
“Once the NWC members accommodate loopholes in the administration of the party, our party is finished. This is why the members of the NWC must be united now than even before,” he added.
A member of the party’s BoT, while speaking on the development on Monday, said that, “We will look at the bigger picture and that picture is what is good for the party.
“We can’t be going into a major election with our house in disarray.
“Whatever sacrifice is needed for us to move forward, we will do it but I can’t be categorical so as not to preempt the outcome of the meeting.
“We must not be afraid to speak the truth. We must speak truth to power, though not everybody will like it.
“Whatever will affect our chances of winning the elections must give way,” he added.
Although Ayu enjoys the support of over two-thirds of the members of the NWC as of now, there are chances things may change in the weeks ahead as five among the governors elected on its platform have vowed not to have anything to do with the presidential campaign council unless Ayu is removed from office.
The governors include Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, Seyi Makinde of Oyo state, Samuel Ortom of Benue state, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state.
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