The post-presidential primary crisis that has hit the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is not over.
Yesterday, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde insisted that the national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, should resign.
He stressed that the candidate and chairman cannot come from the same bloc region. The governor said Southwest PDP stakeholders believe that Ayu’s resignation should be the baseline for restructuring and unification.
Makinde said if the controversy triggered by the distribution of positions is not resolved before next year’s polls, Southwest will continue to nurture the fear of exclusion.
Urging the opposition party to correct its pre-election mistakes, Makinde said: “If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify PDP first. If we want a government of national unity, it must reflect in the PDP. If we want to restructure Nigeria, we must restructure PDP first.
“Our presidential candidate is from the Northeast. Our national chairman is from Northcentral. The Director-General of the Atiku Campaign Organisation, Aminu Tambuwal, is from the Northwest. So, the PDP national chairman should step down.”
But, the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who met with Southwest PDP leaders and candidates in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, said if Ayu must resign, his exit must follow due process.
Also in Umuobiakwa, Abia State, where he received Senator Adolphus Wabara, PDP BoT Chairman, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu urged the party leadership to demonstrate courage by taking concrete decisions that will foster stability in the party. Southwest PDP leaders who converged on the Prof. Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, included former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former Ondo State Governor Segun Mimiko, Senator Biodun Olujimi, Osun State Governor-elect Ademola Adeleke, former Ekiti State governor Ayodele Fayose and PDP National Vice Chairman (Southwest) Taofeek Arapaja.
Makinde said: “There’s a saying that when two brothers go into a room to talk and they come out laughing, they say, the likelihood is that, they have not told themselves the truth. But, when two brothers come out looking forlorn, that means they must have told themselves the truth.
“People have spoken here and they have spoken about the positive sides of things. But we do have challenges in our party. We have issues to address, but one good thing is we have the capacity to address those issues.
“I have seen people abuse me on social media, saying this thing is about Wike, Makinde, Ortom, Ikpeazu or Ughanyi. The truth is we do not have any issues either with our party or with our candidate.
“If there are challenges, we must bring them to the table so that we can address them to ensure that our journey is smooth and we can get to our destination. This is not about individuals.
“I see people talk, saying this happened during our presidential convention or because someone was selected as a vice presidential candidate. Those are issues that are behind us; it has happened; it has happened.