National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen Iyorchia Ayu, yesterday survived moves to remove him from office.
Reprieve came the way of the chairman when the 97th national executive committee (NEC) of the major opposition party in the country passed a vote of confidence on Ayu and the National Working Committee (NWC).
The NEC, which is the highest decision making body of the party after the national convention of the party, passed the confidence vote on the Ayu-led NWC at its meeting held at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja.
The 397 members of the NEC including past national chairman of the party, the immediate past Vice President of the country, Namadi Sambo, the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, among others were accredited for the meeting.
The endorsement of Ayu's leadership by the NEC signals the first time in the party's history that a national chairman would survive a move by governors to remove him from office.
Indication that he would survive the onslaught emerged Wednesday night during a caucus meeting which he presided over.
The confidence vote on Ayu came just as the group of governors calling for his resignation as a condition for the reconciliation with the party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, shunned the NEC meeting.
The governors led by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, are Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Samuel Ortom (Benue).
The Benue State governor, LEADERSHIP gathered, was away in London.
The motion for the confidence vote was moved by minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon Ndudi Elumelu, and was seconded by Ishola Fulani.
Ayu's endorsement by NEC came shortly after Senator Walid Jibrin resigned as chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT).
Jibrin announced his resignation at a meeting of the PDP BoT at the party's national secretariat, Abuja.
Former Senate president, Adophous Wabara, was appointed the new BoT chairman in a move aimed at appeasing the southerners demanding inclusivity in the party's hierarchy.
Speaking during the meeting, the presidential candidate of PDP Atiku Abubakar, assured that the differences within the party would be addressed.
He said, "Many speakers have alluded to family disagreement. Family disagreements are normal even in normal families as well as political families. But what I can assure you is that we are determined to resolve those issues internally.
"They are not really fundamental disagreements; it is Normal.
Today, PDP is the oldest political party in Nigeria from the past republic till today no political party has existed as long as the PDP. As a political party we have our constitution, our rules and our regulations. I want to urge that no matter the level of disagreement, it should be resolved within our constitution, within our rules, within our regulations.
"We have all what it takes to guide us to continue to nurture this political party, to provide a platform for all Nigerians to realize their collective and individual aspirations. Therefore I wish to appeal to all members of our party to make sure that all our disagreements are resolved internally."
On his part, the national chairman, Ayu, said, "I believe this party is as united as anything in spite of whatever impression other people may want to create. Anybody who is here can see the enthusiasm and the harmony in this party. It is normal for family issues.
Sometimes you have family disagreements and we settle. This party is famous for settling all disagreements and going on to win elections in the party. This time it is not an exception. I am happy that the majority of Nigerian people are interested in our party.
"And so because we disagree among ourselves is our capacity to resolve it. We have done it before and I believe the Nigerian people will give us their mandate. We need to focus on what worries the Nigerian people."
Elumelu, in his remarks, said Nigerians are suffering and PDP is the only solution, adding that this 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.
"A lot has gone wrong. Let's put behind the anger and move forward. It is the devil that is trying to stop us from winning because they know, in the spiritual realm, we have won.
We can never be distracted. We must talk to our people to collect their PVCs," he said.
The new BoT chairman, Wabara, said the PDP has an inbuilt mechanism to solve problems and has done so several times. "When people expect us to implode, that is when we become very glorious. I want to advise us that we should always deprive ourselves in-house no matter what the anger is; let us deprive ourselves in-house rather than playing to the gallery.
"We should watch and control our utterances because by and large, only God knows tomorrow. Once you voice out something, it is always difficult for you to pick back what you voice out. My advice is that we should be mature enough to control our temper."
However, reading to the communiqué at the end of the meeting, the national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba affirmed that the "NEC unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu for effectively managing the affairs of the Party and restated its confidence in the NWC to lead the PDP to victory in the 2023 general elections."
He added that the NEC received and accepted the resignation of the chairman of the BoT, Sen Walid Jibrin, and accepted the nomination of Sen Adolphus Wabara, the secretary of the BoT, as acting chairman of the BoT.
On the presidential campaign structure for the party, Ologunagba, said, "NEC approved a unified campaign structures across the country for the PDP for the 2023 general elections which will focus more on the grass root.
"NEC approved the proposed Structure and Organogram of the National Campaign Council as well as the National Campaign Management Council for the 2023 general elections.
"NEC also approved the Structures for Campaign Councils at the States, Local Government, Ward and Unit levels.
"NEC unanimously empowered the NWC to modify and adjust the structures of the Campaign Councils as and when the need arises.
"NEC received and approved the proposed structure for Zonal Reconciliation Committees to be set up to ensure that our Party presents a common front ahead of the 2023 general elections.
"NEC also received and approved the composition of the Manifesto Review Committee to review the Manifesto of the PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections."
He added that the NEC unanimously ratified the list of candidates of the PDP as submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the NWC.
"NEC congratulated H.E Atiku Abubakar and H.E Ifeanyi Okowa on their emergence as Presidential and the Vice Presidential Candidates of the PDP for the 2023 Presidential election, respectively.
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"NEC also congratulated all the Governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly Candidates of the PDP for their emergence as flagbearers of our Party at various levels."
He added that the NEC also decried the state of the nation, including the worsening state of the nation's economy with attendant excruciating hardship occasioned by the corruption, insensitivity, incompetence and harsh economic policies of the inhumane and vicious APC.
"NEC is also appalled by the worsening insecurity in the country occasioned by the obvious complicity of the APC administration which continues to condone and enable acts of terrorism in various parts of the country.
"NEC lamented the failure of the APC government to address the industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). NEC lamented that the APC is relishing the agony, pain and suffering of parents and students in Nigerian public universities due to the prolonged strike action.
"NEC condemned the constant display of arrogance by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu in handling the issue of ASUU strike and called for a more constructive engagement by stakeholders to resolve the matter.
"NEC also condemned in the strongest terms the appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari of card-carrying members of the APC as INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).
"This unpatriotic act is a brazen plot by the APC to manipulate and rig the 2023 general elections against the Will of Nigerians. The PDP demands that President Buhari immediately withdraws the APC members nominated as RECs, failure of which has the capacity to trigger serious political crisis that can threaten the 2023 general elections and derail our democratic process."
