PDP crisis: Demand for Ayu’s resignation: Confusion over BoT’s conflicting report

Crisis rocking the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is the candidate deepened over the weekend as two conflicting reports purportedly issued by the Board of Trustees (BoT) are currently in circulation.

The BoT report issued by the former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara indicated that the embattled National Chairman of the PDP Dr. Iyorchia Ayu should resign, but another report claiming to have emanated from the BoT meeting urged Ayu to continue in office and resign after the general election.

The development has raised confusion in the party as doubts are being cast over which report was a true reflection of the BoT decision.

It recalled that the BoT met on Friday primarily to discuss the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and to decide Ayu’s fate.

Reliable sources however revealed that the original report prepared by the BoT had recommended the immediate resignation of Ayu.

The exit of Ayu from office and replacement with a Southerner is central to the demands of the Nyesom Wike led bloc of the party which has accused Ayu of betraying neutrality in the conduct of the national convention.

The group is also demanding that in the spirit of the provisions of the PDP constitution that the chairman and the presidential candidate be made to come from different parts of the country.

Reports following the uproar against Ayu including allegations bothering on money issues that the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) raised a peace committee which also met with the Rivers Governor.

However, on Saturday, the Wabara-led Committee submitted its report on Friday after which the outcome was read to the public.

A section of the PDP top hierarchy has raised an eyebrow after the BoT report was read, which the group claimed was doctored to favour Ayu, who was present at the meeting.

The aggrieved group within the party’s top hierarchy alleged that what was read to the media was not the actual or original report put together by the members of the committee which met with Governor Nyesom Wike and other critical stakeholders on the issue.

According to a source, Ayu who is also a member of the BoT, was the first to arrive at the venue of the PDP meeting where the report was to be submitted.

The Original Report…

Top on the document or the original report was that Ayu should resign with immediate effect, as a matter of integrity and in the interest of the party.

According to our source who pleaded anonymity, Ayu was also asked to apologize to the party and Nigerians for the embarrassment he has caused everyone.

The source, who was part of the meeting, confirmed that all that was read out to the press was totally different from the original report and asked the Nigerians to demand original copies of the report submitted by the Wabara committee.

He said: “Ayu whose issue was being discussed became the first to arrive at the venue of the meeting and he came prepared with some members who have been known to be behind his insistence on remaining as the chairman.

“They opposed those areas where the committee stated in its report that Ayu should resign with immediate effect and apologize.

“This aspect was expunged before taking the report to the public and this didn’t go down well with some of us but they were shouting on top of their voices that the chairman must not be disgraced out, hence you saw the twisted report that was issued to the press today”.

A Plea for action…

“The media and the public should now challenge Wabara, whom we all see as a man of honour to release the original document containing the actual report and I can assure you that Nigerians will be shocked to see how people who say they want to rule Nigeria could be so deceitful, our source asserted.

He asked: “Why should Ayu be in a meeting where issues about his nefarious activities are being discussed and he more or less presided over the meeting with his loyalists ensuring the actual report was killed and never read out?

The allegation of the doctored PDP BoT report on Ayu is bound to further worsen the situation in the party if the stakeholders alleging same are able to prove their point.