By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
Following some online media report insinuating that National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr. Iyorchia Ayu has been suspended, the party on Wednesday stated that the chairman is on leave and officially handed over to the affairs of the party to Deputy National Chairman North, Amb. Umar Damagun as stipulated in the party’s Constitution.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba while making the clarifications in a statement urged the public to regard the information about Dr. Ayu’s resignation circulation in the Social Media as fictions, completely false and handiwork of mischief makers.
“Such report is completely false and a product of the imagination of mischief makers with the intent to destabilize our Party, create an impression of crisis within our ranks and mislead the unsuspecting members of the public.
“It is clear that the false report is the handiwork of vicious anti-people forces who are agitated by the stability, unity and soaring popularity of our Party under the cohesive Sen. Dr. Ayu-led National Working Committee as well as the intimidating statures of our Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar and His Excellency, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa respectively”.
Hon. Ologunagba while making clarifications on the absence of the National Chairman from the party’s secretariat and official engagements in the recent past continued, “our National Chairman, Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu is on a short vacation outside of the country and he officially transmitted power to the Deputy National Chairman (North), His Excellency Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum, to perform his duties in Acting Capacity, pending his return, in line with the provision of the Constitution of the PDP 2017 (as amended).
“It is instructive to state that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was duly informed on the absence of our National Chairman and that Amb. Damagun will be performing the duties of the National Chairman in Acting Capacity pending Sen. Dr. Ayu’s return”.
He went further to state that the leadership of the party and the National Working Committee (NWC) are united and that Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu is still the PDP National Chairman.
The party urged all members of our great Party, our teeming supporters, the media and the general public to disregard the said report as fake news.
