Atiku waves off pressures, fires back at Wike, others, follow party rules to remove Ayu

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice president Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday waved off the pressures mounted on him to remove Iyorchia Ayu as the National Chairman of the peoples Democratic Party (PDP).  Atiku maintained that it is not within his power to remove the party’s national chairman. he, therefore, told Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his political allies to follow the rules of the PDP to remove the party’s national chairman.

Atiku, in a statement Atiku in a statement, declared: “On the calls for the resignation or removal from office of our national chairman, however, I must reiterate what I have said severally in public and in private; the decision for Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to resign from office is personal to Dr. Ayu and, neither I nor anyone else can make that decision for him.

“As to the calls for the removal of Dr. Ayu from office, however, I will state that, as a committed democrat and firm believer in the rule of law and democratic tenets, and our party being one set up, organized and regulated by law and our constitution, it is my absolute belief that everything that we do in our party must be done in accordance with, and conformity to, the law and our constitution.

“If Dr. Ayu is to be removed from office, it must be done in accordance with the laws that set out the basis for such removal.

“In any event, you will all recall that the very body that is empowered by law to initiate this removal from office, has already passed a vote of confidence in him.”

Governor Wike and his political allies had after an all-night meeting from Tuesday into Wednesday at his private residence in Port, Harcourt, Rivers State, declared that they have pulled out of Atiku’s presidential campaign council for the 2023 general elections, reiterating that Ayu must resign for a southern chairman.

Those present at the meeting in Port Harcourt include Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, former Governors Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State, Donald Duke of Cross River State, Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State and Jonah Jang of Plateau State, including former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke SAN, Olabode George, Jerry Gana, PDP Deputy Chairman South-South, Dan Orbih; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche; Senator Suleiman Nazif, Nnenna Ukeje and others.