But the party’s National Executive Committee, NEC, yesterday, passed a motion to save Ayu at the 97th NEC meeting, in Abuja. NEC is made up of all organs of the party.
This was sequel to a motion by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Ndudi Elumelu.
After expressing gratitude to the Ayu-led National Working Committee, NWC, for steering the ship of the party in the right direction since taking office, Elumelu said: “You (Ayu) have shown maturity. Nigerians are suffering today and PDP is the only solution and that is why it is important for the PDP to unite.
“We must learn to forgive one another. All of us cannot be chairman, presidential candidate. But together we can lead. If only we can be patient, we can lead.
“National cake of Aso Villa is too much for all Nigerians. And this cake means creating the necessary infrastructure for Nigerians, not making fake promises like APC.
“On behalf of my colleagues, we have decided because the NWC has tremendously performed, our governors are our pride, forget what you are reading. “They are united. I believe they will deliver their states for PDP in 2023. Let me move a motion. I move that a vote of confidence be put before the NWC for their doggedness; forthrightness and professionalism, especially in giving us Osun State and I believe they will give us the Villa in 2023.”
A party chieftain from Kwara State, Mr Ishola Balogun, seconded the motion after he was recognized to do so.
Jubrin’s resignation of no effect— Wike
In his reaction to developments at the NEC yesterday, Governor Wike insisted that the reported resignation of the party’s BoT Chairman, Walid Jibrin, would not assuage the demand by him and his allies for Ayu to resign.
Speaking at the inauguration of Ahoada Campus of Rivers State University in Ahoada East Local Government Area, the governor said he was not concerned about Jibrin’s resignation.
His words: “If the presidential candidate comes from the North, you (Ayu) will resign. By the convention of our party, the chairman will come from South. And Ayu said if the presidential candidate comes from the North, he will resign after the convention of our party, and that the chairman of our party will come from the South.
“When the North Central leaders met in the house of Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State, he said so there. When he met the caucus of the Senate, he told them that.
“Now, when we finished our convention on Sunday, the candidate of the party came to see me in my house in Abuja on Monday around 10:30 am. The candidate told me ‘I want us to work together’, and then he said, look Ayu must go.
“I said why? He said because when a candidate comes from the north, the chairman will come from the South. And I’m saying implement what you told me. What offense have I committed in saying that?
“So I want the presidential candidate to deny this. If he denies, I will go further to say so many things to Nigerians because enough is enough.
“We can’t continue this way. They were told that the BoT Chairman has resigned. Who’s talking about Chairman of BoT? What is the role of BoT, just advisory? Not a decision making body.
“The presidential candidate of the party and the chairman are those who will sit to take decisions. The presidential candidate and chairman of the party are from North. Who will represent interests of the South in decision making?
On the resignation of the BoT Chair, Wike said: “One former general went to see the BoT chairman and the candidate too went to see him to resign that we’ll give you advisory position. The BoT position is already advisory.
‘’What advisory position is he going to give him? That is to insult us. And all of us are here. Our people are there, not knowing what is happening. You think it’s Wike. It is you.
‘’It is your children. How can we be here, the chairman and presidential candidate will meet, they will take a decision, nobody represents us. Just wait, pray let them win, then you will see?
“Why are they being so arrogant? I can tell you they are arrogant because they believe somebody in the presidency is backing them. But, what they don’t understand is the same person in the presidency backed somebody as APC presidential aspirant and the person failed.
‘’I will tell Nigerians at the appropriate time who the person is in the presidency that is backing them. “Some of you don’t know what’s happening in the country. You’re being deceived, they’ll tell you, this Wike is causing problem, Wike is not causing problem. Wike is bringing peace to this country. Wike is advocating justice, Wike is advocating equity, Wike is advocating development.
“We have finished the presidential primaries. It is over. So when people said you want to destroy the party, because you didn’t win primary, I think they’re sick. They have some mental problems.”
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who spoke during the commissioning, said Wike’s leadership has changed the fortunes of Rivers State and urged the people to support him.
