The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is getting messier by the day as the war of words between the two contending forces in the opposition party was renewed yesterday, when its national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, the man in the centre of the controversy between the party’s presidential flag-bearer, Atiku Abubakar and Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, described persons calling for his resignation as ‘children.’
Ayu has been under pressure lately, with calls for his resignation coming from different quarters amid the intense internal crisis ravaging the party.
The camp loyal to Wike had recently demanded that Ayu should step down as a precondition for resolving the rift with Atiku and to re-tilt the balance of power in the party favouring the North.
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But speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa yesterday, Ayu said he is not bothered by calls for his resignation. He said: “I was voted as PDP chairman for a four-year tenure and I am yet to complete a year. Atiku’s emergence as flag-bearer or victory in 2023 doesn’t affect the chairman’s position, even if the candidate is from Benue State, I stood for election and I was voted for based on our party’s Constitution.
“I didn’t commit any offence. I’m only reforming the party, so, I’m not bothered with all the noise. I know I’m doing my work and I didn’t steal any money, so, I see no reason for all these talks.
“When we started the PDP journey, we did not see these children. They are children who do not know why we established this party. We will not allow one person to come and destroy our party.”
When asked in specific terms to comment on the conditions of Wike’s camp’s call for his resignation among others, he said: “All that he is doing does not affect me because I know I am fixing the party, I am doing my work diligently. We will not allow one person to become a spoiler, this is our party, so, all that is expected of us is to fix the country, provide security and dividends of democracy when we take over power in 2023.”
