At meeting with Atiku, Makinde demands Ayu’s resignation as PDP chairman

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, has demanded the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

Makinde made the demand at the PDP south-west stakeholders meeting in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state.

“Our party wants to rescue Nigeria and our candidate is a unifier. He wants to restructure Nigeria,” he was quoted as saying by PUNCH.

“Eight years of the All Progressives Congress have left us sharply divided. The issue is we must practice what we preach. If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify the PDP first.

“If we want to restructure Nigeria, we must have the willingness to bring inclusivity to the PDP. Do we have the capacity? The answer is a resounding yes.

“The message from the south-west PDP is that the south-west is asking that the national working committee (NWC) of the PDP should be restructured.

“We are asking the national chairman to step down so that the south will be fully included. That is the message.”

Ayu has been under pressure in the last few months, with demands for his resignation coming from different quarters, especially the camp of Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state.

The call for Ayu’s resignation is said to be on the grounds that the national chairman and the presidential candidate of the party cannot be from the same region.

Amid the calls for his resignation, the national executive committee (NEC) of the party recently passed a confidence vote in him.

On Tuesday, Simon Imobo-Tswam, Ayu’s special adviser on media, said the PDP chairman will travel to Europe and is expected to spend about two weeks.