The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday foreclosed the removal of its National Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for peace and reconciliation in the party.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and a former Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Olabode George, are among those calling for Ayu’s removal to balance the North/South power equation in the opposition party.

They have premised their demand on the fact that the PDP cannot have Ayu, who is from the North, and the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who is also from the North, in the same election circle.

But, the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said removing Ayu from office would ignite a constitutional crisis in the party, adding that PDP cannot take the risk.

He said those calling for Ayu’s removal are fully aware of the position of the PDP constitution on the matter.

The party’s constitution stipulates that when the tenure of a sitting national chairman is abridged for whatever reasons, his seat is taken by the Deputy National Chairman from the same region the ousted chairman comes from.

Ologunagba, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, explained that the PDP constitution provides for Deputy National Chairman (North) and Deputy National Chairman (South).

Going by the constitution, should Ayu be removed from office, he will be replaced by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Umar Damagum, who is from Yobe State.

Yobe is in the same Northeast geopolitical zone as Adamawa State where the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, hails from.

Ologunagba said: “Those calling for Ayu’s removal ought to be aware of the implication of their demand. Are they now saying that the present Deputy National Chairman (North), who is from the same Northeast zone as our presidential candidate, be made to replace Ayu, in line with the PDP constitution?

“On the other hand, we would be courting more crisis if we sideline provisions of the constitution by replacing Ayu with another officer from the South.

“We don’t want to go into the election with a constitutional crisis. We have barely six months to the election.

“Even if you say Ayu should go today, his replacement will come from the same North.

“There had been a precedent. When (Umaru) Yar’adua became our candidate (2007), Ahmadu Ali, a fellow northerner, was the national chairman and remained so until the party won the 2003 elections.

“Several organs of the party have met on different occasions and have passed a vote of confidence in his leadership and the National Working Committee.”

He added: “Elections are coming and we don’t need a distraction. You can’t destroy the whole for a part. We respect people’s rights and positions but going into negotiations, you cannot say it is either this or nothing.

“It means you’re not ready to negotiate. We are all interested in the survival of our party and our nation Nigeria. We will look at the need to do the balancing.”

The PDP spokesman appealed to Wike, George and other aggrieved parties to rather seek negotiation with stakeholders while pushing for their demands, instead of taking hardline positions.

Ologunagba, however, said the PDP will continue to recognise and respect the right of every member to express opinions, which may not necessarily reflect the view of a majority of members.

On the position of George, Ologunagba said: “We respect his views but his views cannot be equated with the view of the majority of our members.

“The view of a member, no matter how highly placed, cannot equate to that of the majority of members.

“Right now, we need to recognise the need for the party to remain united. We have a system, a robust conflict resolution mechanism, we are getting to our destination, which is peace in the party and the resolution of our security challenges nationwide.”

The party spokesman dismissed speculations that Wike was planning to dump the PDP.

He said: “Governor Wike is an important member of this party. He is a man who has invested so much in this party. He has also harvested so much from the party; the party has also promoted him.

“He has said in so many fora that he is a committed party man and has remained loyal to the party since inception.

“Before the presidential primaries which he contested, he told the whole world that he was ready to respect the outcome of the elections. I have no evidence that he has changed his mind.”

He affirmed that the party was making progress in its ongoing reconciliation effort.

Ologunagba said: “Reconciliation is not a 100- meter dash, it is a marathon. Nigerians have a right to expect quick fixes because they have been pillaged over the last seven years.

“I know for a fact that there are behind the scene discussions, which details cannot be put on the pages of newspapers.

“Slowly, we are getting there, we need to get away from the current state of affairs as a nation.”

‘Nobody can hijack positions in party’

Also yesterday, PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, urged party members in Imo State to remain committed, adding that none can hijack their positions in the party.

Anyanwu, in a statement by his media aide Ikenna Onuoha, said the collective effort of all members is what makes a party thrive and win elections.

He advised party faithful against acts capable of promoting segregation, rancour, acrimony and disunity.

The PDP leader also urged party leaders to shun blackmail and infighting occasioned by fake news, saying the important thing is how the PDP can win the 2023 elections.

“Political parties are like churches and open to all. The idea of discrimination, name-dropping, rancour and acrimony against leaders and members of our party should stop.

“If we remain disunited and envious of our member’s political achievements, the vision of securing victory in the 2023 elections will be a tall dream.

“We should put pride aside, be humble and genuinely determined to seize power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC); but the way we are going about it has much to be desired. No one wins an election by forming destructive camps within his family”, Anyanwu said.

He reasoned that people were unwilling to openly work for PDP because they were afraid that after working, strangers would dominate and take over.

“I want to appeal to all of us to forgive and forget whatever you passed through when our party was hijacked by those with divisive tendencies.

“If we continue to remember how some of us were insulted, humiliated and pushed aside, our determination to win the 2023 election may not be achieved. Let us come together as a family and defeat our common enemies,” Anyanwu added.

The PDP chieftain also spoke on the crisis between Atiku and Wike.

Anyanwu told The Nation that Wike had a right to express his grievances arising from the party’s presidential primary election.

“When a man contests an election and he doesn’t win and he feels that something was wrong, he has the right to express his grievances,” he said. (Text, excluding headline:The Nation)

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