Some Peoples Democratic Party PDP stalwarts including a former deputy National chairman of the party, Chief Olabode George have pulled out of the recently announced presidential campaign council of the party.
The group announced their withdrawal from the party’s campaign council on Wednesday when they met with the State Governor Nyesom Wike.
The group according to Chief Olabode George insists on its earlier position that the national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu resigns to pave way for the emergence of an acting chairman from southern Nigeria.
“That Senator Iyorchia Ayu resigns as the National Chairman of the Party for an acting Chairman of Southern Nigerian extraction to emerge and lead the party on the national campaign.
Consequently, we resolve not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu,” he said.
On his part, a member of the Party’s board of trustees, Professor Jerry Gana clarified the position of the group further.
He said that their insistence on the resignation of the National chairman of the party was borne out of the need to ensure equity, fairness and justice within the PDP.
“You cannot build on a faulty foundation, therefore, this call for the national chairman to step down or resign is not because any of us is aggrieved but because we believe it is important we ensure a fair structure, a just structure, a principled structure, a constitutional structure for the party.
If we want restructure Nigeria, we should have the courage to restructure our party,” Gana said.
These latest development political observers say is indeed a major setback for the PDP in its quest to take back the reins of government it lost to the All Progressives Congress seven years ago.
N.O