By NewsBits
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who stepped aside from his position on Tuesday, is set to fight his suspension by a Benue State High Court, Makurdi on Monday.
Simon Imobo-tswam, Ayu’s Special Assistant on Communication, disclosed this to our correspondent shortly after the party announced the appointment of the Deputy National Chairman, (North), Umar Damagum Ayu as the acting national chairman.
The Igorov ward executive committee in the Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State had on Sunday suspended Ayu for alleged anti-party activities and for failing to pay his membership dues. In the aftermath of the suspension, the Benue State court restrained Ayu from parading himself as the chairman of the party following a suit filed by a former aide to the state governor, Conrad Utaan.
Ayu and the PDP were listed as the first and second respondents, respectively. The case has been adjourned till April 17 for a hearing. But his Special Assistant on Communication, in response to a question from our correspondent, confirmed his principal’s plan to challenge the court order legally.
While noting that Ayu reserved the right to seek legal redress, the former lawmaker who represented Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, warned the Governor Nyesom Wike-led Integrity Group not to be too fast in celebrating because “Ayu did not resign; he only stepped aside in obedience of a court order.”
He continued, “Ayu has the right to seek legal redress and I am sure that is an option he would explore. Ayu did not resign; he only stepped aside. He will bounce back and for the G-5 governors, we tell them not to rejoice yet because the music has just started.
“This is no celebration time for them. By this move, the party and the chairman have both demonstrated that they are law-abiding. Whether the ex parte order was well procured, purchased or induced, Ayu decided to obey it as a law-abiding citizen. There is no point in taking the laws into our hands.’’
Speaking further, Melaye noted, “While this crisis lasted, Governor Wike kept repeating that he and his group wanted the chairmanship of the party to go to the South but in compliance with the constitution of the party, the position has remained in the North. Now, has this helped their cause?”
In the same vein, a member of the PDP National Executive Committee, Timothy Osadolor told The PUNCH that anyone ruling out the chances of Ayu returning to the office “does not know the stuff he is made of.”
According to him, “Ayu will be back. It is not a question of if but when. As I said a few days ago, the suspension from his ward is null and void because the constitution of the party is clear on the matter.
“Only a committee set up by the NEC of the PDP can suspend a national officer of the party. Ayu will prove this in court. He merely stepped aside to show them in court that they lack the power to sanction him as they are trying to do.”
On the way forward for the party, Osadolor who doubles as the Deputy National Youth Leader of the PDP said, “It is important that we put aside all pettiness and work in the interest of the party. But some privileged individuals who became what they are today courtesy of the PDP platform want to destroy the party.”
A member of the PDP Board of Trustees and former deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara said that given the turn of events, Ayu was left with no choice but to obey the order of the court.
Opara, a former ally of the Rivers State governor, added that the embattled chairman might find his way back to the office if the order against him was vacated by the court.
Meanwhile, the highest decision-making body of the party, NEC, is expected to convene “as soon as it becomes feasible” to deliberate on issues thrown up by the turn of events in the past two days.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi confirmed this to our correspondent on Tuesday. Abdullahi said, “A NEC meeting will be held as soon as it becomes feasible. It is in the works, but we have not fixed a date for it yet.”
‘Ayu gone’
“So, it is a good thing that Ayu is gone. We don’t believe that he stepped aside. His time was up and not even his friends could save him. Ayu is gone and gone for good.”
On whether the party in the state would have preferred a Southerner to step in as Ayu’s replacement, he said, “In terms of underlying principles pertaining to zoning, one will easily perhaps say if we were to take away the presidential candidate from the equation, then it will be the turn of the North to produce the chairman because the last chairman was from the South-South, Uche Secondus.’’
For Chief Olabode George, a former deputy national chairman of the party, where the acting chairman hails from is immaterial. He noted that it was not yet time to clamour for a southerner as the party’s national chairman.
He said, “It is not yet time to start saying this is from the north, this is from the south. You see, the election is over, and we are in court. We are going to do a proper postmortem analysis of what happened pre-election, during the election and post-election.
‘’That’s the only way this party will survive. I’m pleading that all sides should wait for the court to make its decision on who actually won the presidential election. Whether we win or lose, we must have a postmortem analysis. So, it doesn’t matter where the acting chairman comes from.’’
In a related development, Conrad Utaan, the plaintiff in the suit against Ayu said what the party leader did was the right step.
