By Seyi Odewale
When in the wee hours of Sunday the new Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, said while giving a remark shortly after his election, that the All Progressives Congress (APC), will go, the former Senate President may have sent a strong signal to the ruling party.

He was elected on Saturday as the PDP’s consensus candidate at the Abuja convention, scoring 3,426 affirmative votes out of 3,511 accredited voters. He was confident that the sacking of the ruling party in 2023 will end the sufferings of Nigerians.

Ayu said the PDP was back to take over Nigeria and develop it, adding that the party did it before and would do it again.

“I want to sincerely appreciate the PDP family. Today is simply a “thank you” address. When we started this party 23 years ago, we never in any way imagined that the journey would get us to this stage.

“A stage where we ruled for 16 years, we went into rough times, but for anybody who bothers to see, PDP is back. I want to appreciate all of you who have taken the time as delegates as observers, as supporters, as members of the media as members of the security services, who have made this event such a wonderful event.

“Many people imagine that this convention will lead to the breakup of PDP. Those people who are dreaming like that, their dreams were misplaced. Those who have lost hope should know that Nigeria is not a divided country.

“A small group of people decided to divide Nigeria. PDP will come back to unite our people, put them together, north, and south, east, and west. We will move ahead to develop this country. We did it before. We are going to do it again. I want to thank the governors,” he said.

Also, a former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, charged Nigerians to take the opportunity presented by the PDP to set Nigeria aright.

Abubakar, who spoke while addressing delegates and party officials at the convention, said Nigerians could achieve anything if they put their differences aside.

He said that the convention was an opportunity to make decisions that would shape the future of the party for the benefit of all Nigerians.

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Abubakar said Nigeria was passing through the most difficult period of its existence saying that he is 70 years plus and had never seen the country in such a shape.

He said there was so much insecurity and social tension which were threatening the unity and corporate existence of the country.

He said the situation of the country was an opportunity for the PDP to carry out its responsibility and save the country.

“We have a chance now to set the ship on the right course; we have a chance to atone for our collective mistakes and those of past leadership.

“We have a chance to unite the country as we march towards achieving the dreams of our founding fathers at independence so many years ago.

“We have a chance to set our country on an enviable position in the comity of nations; we can save ourselves, we can save the party, we can save Nigeria together,” he said.

The Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, noted that Nigeria was going through difficult moments.

The senator decried the insecurity, socioeconomic difficulties, and separatist agitations in the country.

He said that Nigerians were tired and were following proceedings at the convention anxiously waiting for its outcome.

Abaribe urged delegates and party officials not to disappoint on-looking Nigerians.

He pledged the commitment of all PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly to ensuring that the party enthroned a better leadership in 2023.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the National Planning Committee of the Convention, Mr Ahmadu Fintiri, said that the convention presented a starting point for Nigeria’s ‘rescue mission’.

Fintiri, who is the Governor of Adamawa, said that PDP was not just a vehicle for winning elections but a symbol for a free, democratic, and prosperous Nigeria that worked for every citizen.

“For Nigeria, the present APC-led government is hell-bent on railroading the country into multi-faceted recession in all fronts – from economy to governance, national security to diplomacy, poverty to unemployment, anti-corruption to the observance of the rule of law and citizenship to national cohesion.

“Indeed, the country has never had it this bad and that Nigeria was better by far when PDP was in power is not in doubt and that the people relish those golden moments when the PDP held sway at the centre is also not in doubt,” he said.

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The Adamawa governor noted that because of the untold hardship in the country, Nigerians were yearning for the return of PDP at the centre as the 2023 elections drew near.

Similarly, the acting National Chairman of the PDP, Mr Yomi Akinwonmi, called on all party members to come together and bury all personal ambitions in the interest of Nigerians.

He said the new leadership that would take the party to victory in 2023. “The APC government is so clueless that Nigerians are now yearning for our return to rescue them,” he said.

Governor of Sokoto State and Chairman of PDP Governor’s Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, said the temptation and allure of power were tempting and many had fallen apart.

He stressed that there were plots to weaken the party but those plotting the fall of the party were the ones failing while the party kept winning all on sides.

Tambuwal said the governors of the party were united and prepared to work for the return of the party to the centre in 2023.

Ayu, a former lecturer, became the Senate President in the aborted Third Republic midwifed by the former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd), from 1992 to 1993.

He was impeached by his colleagues, who replaced him with Senator Ameh Ebute. However, Ebute’s stay did not last as the military junta annulled the June 1993 presidential election reportedly won by the late business mogul, the late MKO Abiola.

The backlash of the annulment was the abortion of the Third Republic with the replacement of an interim government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan, whose six-month tenure was toppled by the late maximum leader, Gen. Sani Abacha.

Born in Gboko, Benue State some 68 years ago, Dr Ayu taught sociology at the University of Jos in Plateau State, specialising in the art and science of Marxism. He was later to become the Chairman of the Jos University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASU).

He was later to come into politics and became very influential among the majority of Tiv people in his home state of Benue. He also became a Senator in the Third Republic on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and subsequently became the Senate President.

In November 1993, the Senate impeached Ayu, who was a strong opponent of the Interim National Government (ING) established after the elected President, Abiola had been prevented from taking office. He was to later become the Minister for Education under the late Abacha’s military government.

Elected along with Ayu was Umar Iliya Damagum as deputy national chairman (North) and Taofeek Arapaja, deputy national chairman (South)

As the party’s national secretary was Samuel Anyanwu, while Ahmed Yayari Mohammed was elected national treasurer and Umar Bature was the national organising secretary. Daniel Woyegikuro was voted as the party’s national financial secretary while Stella Effah-Attoe became the party’s national woman leader

There were also Mohammed Kadade Suleiman, national youth leader, Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade national legal adviser, and Debo Ologunagba as national publicity secretary.

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Also, Okechukwu Obiechina Daniel became the national auditor, Setonji Koshoede, deputy national secretary, Ndubisi Eneh David, deputy national treasurer, and Ibrahim Abdullahi as deputy national publicity secretary.

Elected as the party deputy national organising secretary was Ighoyota Amori while Adamu Kamale became the deputy national financial secretary.

The trio of Hajaja Yakubu Wanka, Timothy Osadolor, and Okechukwu became deputy national woman leader, deputy national youth leader, and deputy national legal adviser respectively.