If the current crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party,is not nipped in the bud, Nigeria's main opposition party,may collapse.As a result,the newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, has begun crucial moves to save the party.He is leading a delegation of the PDP BoT, comprising some former governors, ex-deputy governors, ex-ministers and other top party chieftains to meet three of the aggrieved PDP governors.The meeting is meant to placate the aggrieved governors and prepare grounds for further negotiations that will stop the moves by ruling All Progressives Congress governors to woo the PDP governors to their side as the race towards the 2023 poll intensifies.
The PDP has been enmeshed in a major internal crisis after its presidential primary election that produces former vice president Atiku Abubakar as its candidate.
Governor Wike Nyesom of Rivers State, who came second behind Atiku in the primary alleged foul play in the process and has insisted that the Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu must step down for a candidate from the South.
Following the primary, Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa’s emergence as the running mate to Atiku is believed to have infuriated the Rivers State governor, who was reportedly eyeing the vice president’s slot.
Ayu has insisted he will not resign and the development has further polarised the party with Wike and some aggrieved governors listing the PDP chair’s exit as a condition for supporting Atiku for the 2023 poll.
Already, some governors of the APC and their presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, are reportedly wooing the governors to the fold of the ruling party.
Still insisting on Ayu's resignation is PDP in the South-West,Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, made the position of the region known at a stakeholder meeting in Ibadan with the presidential candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa in attendance.
In a press statement later by Makinde’s CPS, Taiwo Adisa, and titled, “2023: South West PDP resolves to back Atiku, insists Ayu must go,” the governor said S’West PDP had resolved to back Atiku and his running mate in the 2023 election, declaring however that Ayu must resign.
He said Ayu should resign for a chieftain from the South to take over the position, noting that this would make the people in the southern part of the country have a sense of belonging in the party.
Makinde, who was named the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, had in his address earlier at the venue described the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal as the chairman of the forum.
The governor said the eight-year rule of the APC had left the country sharply polarised and the issue of where power resides must be addressed carefully so that people from the South would not feel like aliens in the party.
Makinde explained that the insistence of governors Nyesom Wike, Samuel Ortom and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and himself that the PDP must play a politics of inclusion by allowing the national chairmanship post to move to the South, should not be seen as having a problem with the party or the presidential candidate.
He stated that the governors had left the issue of the presidential primary election behind them.
Makinde said, “I want to thank everyone for coming to this meeting and I think, at this point, we have to tell ourselves nothing but the truth.
“What we will do here is to speak the truth to ourselves. Yes, others have spoken here about the positive side of things but we do have challenges and issues to address in our party. But one good thing is that we have the capacity to address those issues.
“Of course, I have seen people abuse me on social media, saying this issue is about Wike, Makinde, Ortom, and Ugwuanyi but the truth is we don’t have any issue either with our party or our presidential 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. So, this is not about individuals.
“I see some people talk about what cropped up during and after the presidential convention when somebody was selected as vice-presidential candidate. Truth is, those are issues that are behind us. They have happened and they have happened but this is where we are.
“Are there issues coming out of those that we really need to address so we can be successful at the end of the day? The answer is yes and we will address them. Integrity and honour must be a part of our national psyche.
But responding to the demand, Atiku told them that the constitution of the party would have to be amended for that to happen.
Atiku said the constitution of the party would have to be followed to make the demand of the South-West PDP possible, while urging them not to allow the issue to derail the train of the party from the 2023 elections.
Atiku said, “The most important event facing us today is the election of 2023 and how to win. From what I have seen in Lagos and Ibadan, I can tell you that we can win the elections if we want to and it is possible for us to take over all the South western states.
“More so, the new Electoral Act has improved our electoral processes and has made it difficult for people to write results. They cannot do it anymore and they cannot rig. If they send thugs to snatch ballot boxes, the boxes will not be counted. So, the era is over. The most important thing for you is to make sure you are registered to vote and protect your vote.
“The PDP is the oldest political party in Nigeria and since the return of democracy. Over time, the PDP has developed its own constitution, electoral processes, zoning of offices, power sharing, and others, which will bring about the unity of the party and that of the country. I have no problem with wherever any of the members of the party comes from but it must be done in accordance with our constitution, regulations, and practices.
“Therefore, what Governor Makinde is calling for is achievable under our constitution, rules, regulations, and procedures. So, those institutions must serve as guides to whatever changes we make. That is why we cannot do anything outside the constitution unless it is amended to reflect what we want them to be.
The vice-presidential candidate, Senator Okowa said Nigeria was sick and Atiku was the prescribed drug to cure it and bring it back to life. He said the PDP would win the remaining states in the South-West in 2023.
Osun State governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Iliya Damagun, former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Senator Biodun Olujinmi were in attendance. They spoke on the need for the party to forge ahead as a united front, adding that the PDP had demonstrated the readiness to win the presidency and liberate Nigerians from the hardship brought upon the country by the APC.
