Mu’azu resigns as PDP chairman

Adamu Mu’azu, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has resigned his position, a source within  the party has confirmed to TheCable.

The source said although Mu’azu’s resignation had been “effected”, the party was still holding on before issuing an official confirmation.

Olisa Metuh, national publicity secretary of the party, initially ignored calls and a text message to his phone number. However, he subsequently confirmed the resignation to journalists at the party’s secretariat, promising to address them later.

He said Mu’azu “had health challenges” but managed it for the duration of the electioneering campaign; and “after consultations with his family”, he had decided to resign.

“This party commends him for his services to the party and for his love for the nation,” he said. “We will not forget him.”

Metuh also confirmed that Uche Secondus, deputy national chairman, takes temporary charge of the party’s reins in acting capacity.

Mu’azu has been out of the country on a medical trip, and it is uncertain when he will return.

Calls for his resignation had been gaining momentum since the dismal performance of the PDP in the general election.

Prominent among those calling for his resignation are Ayo Fayose, Ekiti state governor; Babangida Aliyu, governor of Niger state; and Sule Lamido, governor of Jigawa state.

Fayose is particularly of the opinion that not only did the PDP national chairman ot do enough work for President Goodluck Jonathan to win the presidential election, he also worked for Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the election.

On different occasions, Muazu had insisted that he would not resign, assuring the public that the PDP and its national working committee (NWC) were in harmony.

Jonathan’s camp had been suspicious of Mu’azu’s commitment to the re-election of the president as reported by TheCable in March.

He was suspected to be sympathetic to the the cause of the opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, and the failure of the PDP to win in his home Bauchi state appeared to have worsened the relationship between him and the president.

On his official twitter handle, @Muazuaa, he appeared to have confirmed his resignation when he retweeted this tweet.

As at yesterday night, Chairman @Muazuaa categorically debunked the news to me but just made confirmations now, he has just resigned.

— Adeyanju Deji (@adeyanjudeji) May 20, 2015

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