Eze Onyedikachi
National Working Committee (NWC) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday, reversed the sanctions slammed on governor Samuel Ortom of Benue States, former governor of Ekiti State Ayo Fayose, former governor of Katsina State Ibrahim Shema, former President of the Senate Ayim, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar and Dr. Aslam Aliyu.
A statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, reported that the party’s National Working Committee took the decision after its meeting at the party’s National Secretariat.
The statement reads, “The NWC recognized the imperativeness of a total reconciliation among Party leaders and critical stakeholders for a more cohesive Party in the overall interest of our teeming members and Nigerians in general.
“Consequent upon the above, the NWC reverses the referral of the Governor of Benue State, His Excellency, Dr. Samuel Ortom to the National Disciplinary Committee.
“The NWC in the same vein reverses the suspension of the following underlisted members of our great Party: H.E Ibrahim Shema (Katsina State), Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti State), Sen. Pius Anyim (Ebonyi State) Prof. Dennis Ityavyar (Benue State) and Dr. Aslam Aliyu (Zamfara State)
“This decision is without prejudice to the powers of the NWC to take necessary disciplinary action against any member of the Party at any time pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017)”.
The party charged all its leaders, critical stakeholders and teeming members of the Party across the country to be guided by the provisions of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017) as well as the new spirit and necessity of reconciliation, unity and harmony in the Party.
It added that PDP must remain focused as the leadership continues to take every necessary action to recover the stolen mandate freely given by Nigerians to the Party its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday February 25, 2023, at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The decision of Sen. Iyorchia Ayu led NWC to subject gov. Samuel Ortom to disciplinary committee while five other chieftains of the party were suspended, created a lot of bad blood in the party.
First to react to the development was governor Ortom himself, who accused the embattled chairman of anti-party activities adding that if any one was to face a disciplinary committee, it is Ayu.
“I think the national leadership of our great party is losing its sense of direction. Instead of the leadership to sit back and think of ways on how to rebuild the party from the ruins of the defeat from the just concluded elections, they are going about chasing imaginary shadows.
“In any case, the first person the party should refer to the disciplinary committee should be the national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. The national chairman lost his polling unit, lost his ward, local government, and even the state.
“As if that is not enough, there are strong indications that the national chairman was involved in anti-party activities in Benue State by working for the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, just to get at me because of my principled stand against certain aspects of the decisions of the national leadership of the party”, Ortom said.
Adding his voce, gov. Wike who was infuriated, said that Ayu led NWC lack the moral authority to suspend Ayo Fayose, not to talk about referring governor Ortom to national disciplinary committee.
His words, “I want to state clearly and let members of the party and Nigerians hear it clearly, the National Working Committee made up of Dr Iyorchia Ayu, who they say is the chairman of the party; Sam Anyanwu, the national secretary and other members of NWC, cannot suspend Ayo Fayose, not to talk about referring governor Ortom to national disciplinary committee.”
