By Eze Dikachi
The fate of suspended National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu will be decided on Tuesday as the national Executive Committee of he party is billed to meet to decided on the rising crisis that has rocked the party
It would be recalled that Ayu, who was suspended last week by his Igyorov ward in Gboko Local Government Area of the party was also replaced by the Deputy National chairman, North of the party, Ambassador Illiya Damagun, following a Benue High Court order restraining him from parading himself as the PDP National chairman
The court had ordered the embattled chairman to stem aside from his position, pending the determination of the matter which followed his suspension by the ward executives from his Gboko local government chapter of the party
As the NEC gets set to deliberate of Ayu’s fate, The AUTHORITY gathered that a battle had ensued for the control of PDP soul by followers of the embattled chairman and the opposition G5 governors of the pary, who are bent on taking over the structure to revive the ailing former ruling party
Confirming the development, a Chieftain of the PDP accused some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) including some governors of leading embattled Chairman to his waterloo by urging him to take wrong decisions.
He added that even while the party was still recovering from post election losses, they misguided Ayu towards suspending some ranking members, including former governors of Ekiti state and Katsina states Ayo Fayose and Ibrahim Shema respectively, as well as former Senate President Pius Ayim and others while Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom was asked to present himself before a disciplinary committee for anti-party activities.
The Chieftain who would not like his name to be mentioned said that from the time Atiku emerged as the Presidential candidate of the party, the NWC members who could not resist the mouth watering overtures of the Delta State governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, made a U-turn and supported Ayu in the choice of Okowa.
He said, “Sen. Ayu allowed his ego to come between decisions that were for the overall interest of the party.
“We all know that Wike was the popular choice of most party stakeholders for the VP slot but because Atiku was uncomfortable with the choice, Ayu allowed Okowa’s inducements to becloud his decisions and when some NWC members discovered that Ayu was in a hurry to plunge the party into crises, they simply played along and enjoyed the offers while it lasted.
“It is these same group that advised Ayu to suspend party stakeholders like Fayose, Shema and Anyim, even when the party is to study what happened during the last election.
“To tell you how hypocritical these persons were, as soon as Ayu was suspended and an Acting Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum was announced, they quickly reversed all the decisions of Ayu which they were part of.
“That shows that the present crop of NWC members cannot be trusted. There are some of them that distanced themselves from the decisions of Ayu led NWC, but many of them are colourless and led Ayu to his doom” he said.
Some of the supporters of Ayu have stated that the party was in a hurry to suspend him as the matter is still before the court. They are of the view that the NWC could have remained ‘headless’ until the court made a pronouncement on the matter.
As the party prepares to host it’s post election National Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, there are indications that pro and anti Ayu forces are meeting to take control of the party structure.
It was learnt that Governor. Nyesom Wike and his G-5 governors, including Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) are plotting to take over the control of the party with the support of Gov. Bala Mohammed (Bauchi).
“Since all but Makinde won his election, they are of the view that the only way they can remain relevant in the party is the take charge of the National Secretariat” another top ranking party member told New National Star.
Meanwhile governors elected under the platform of the party, PDP Governors Forum (PDP-GF) are sharply divided over the new development.
Since the party’s national convention last year where it’s chairman and governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal betrayed the trust of Wike by stepping down for Atiku Abubakar at the dying minute, the group has not been able to meet or harmonize positions.
It was gathered that Ayu was nominated as the National Chairman by Atiku and his supporters but following the abysmal performance of the party at the general election and suspension of Ayu, the G-5 governors are working hard to take control of the party while the other governors are also working underground to ensure that they have their men strategically positioned in the NWC.
Already, Wike has vowed to chase the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu and some other leaders of the party out of the PDP.
The Rivers state governor, who described the move as the second phase of the war, said, “These people left our party in 2014-2015, our party lost; again they came back, our party has lost again.
“They have destroyed our party. We are going to chase them away from our party. They have no role to play for our party.”
The general feeling is that NEC may take a decision for an overhaul of the NWC via an emergency Congress and each group is working so hard to outsmart each other on the composition of the new NWC.
Some of the agenda that will lead discussion at NEC will include Ayu’s replacement, the setting up of a committee to look into the immediate and remote causes of the party’s loss of grounds, especially in its traditional strongholds across the nation and other issues relating to moving the party forward.
