The refusal of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to step aside as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the party picked Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate is fueling opposition against him, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, explained yesterday.

He told monarch from Jemgbah community in Benue State that the PDP chair sailed into troubled water because he did not keep his promise to quit if a northerner clinched the ticket.

Ayu, hails from the Jemgbah geo- political bloc, comprising Gboko, Tarka and Buruku local government areas. Ortom hails from MINDA, made up of Makurdi, Guma, Gwer and Gwer East local government areas. Jemgbah and MINDA regions are in the Benue North West Senatorial District.

Ortom’s explanation came on a day a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Alhaji Buba Galadima, rated the PDP low in the 2023 presidential race.

Ortom, who hosted the traditional rulers at the Banquet Hall, Government House Makurdi, Benue state capital, spoke in Tiv language.

He told his guests that Ayu flouted the exist sharing formula that if the president is picked in one part of country, its National Chairman will come from another part.

The governor said Iyorchia reneged on his promised and turned around to create the impression that he (Ortom) was fighting him (Ayu).

Ortom regretted backing Ortom for the PDP chairmanship position against the people’s advice.

He told the monarch that there was nothing personal between him and Ayu.

Ter Jemgbah, Chief Afatyo Ajoko, who spoke for the royal fathers, said they would give Ayu audience the way they have listened to the governor.

Featuring on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, Galadima said the strongholds of the main opposition party have been eroded.

He said the decision of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his allies to work against the PDP candidate, has further dimmed the chances of the opposition party at the poll.

According to him, the PDP has lost its Southeast and Southsouth strongholds to the intractable differences.

He said: “PDP is not on the ballot because the strength of the PDP is in the Southeast, which is being eroded by Peter Obi.

“The strength of the PDP is in the Southsouth but with Wike vowing never to support Atiku, the Southsouth is gone.

“Wike is not only strong in the Southeast, he commands 14 states of Nigeria for PDP. Five serving governors, nine governorship candidates outside PDP’s controlled states belong to Wike. It is what Wike decides that happens in the PDP.”

On the alleged pressure on the Independent National Electoral Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to quit the office, Galadima alleged: “There is a lot of room for concern with the rumour to remove INEC chairman or not. There are a lot of things that most media houses do not know.

“INEC chairman is under extensive pressure to tamper with the Electoral Act. This is because the ruling party wanted to table an issue before the National Assembly such that they will force the chairman to write the National Assembly that usage of the BVAs machine should not be by compulsion.

“This, according to him, will be a greatest disservice to the achievement of President Muhammadu Buhari, who saw through the reform of the Electoral Act.

He boasted that his principal, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso remained the candidate to beat, but hinted of the likely possibility of working with other parties to deliver NNPP’s presidential candidate. (The Nation)

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