By Ben Ogbemudia
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has again insisted on the resignation of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, saying his resignation is no longer negotiable.

He said his insistence on the resignation of Ayu is part of the practical steps to integrate the zone into the leadership that would canvass votes for the party to return to power at the national level.

Makinde said this at the South-West PDP stakeholders meeting yesterday with the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, in attendance.

He argued that accepting inclusivity within the party was a paramount factor to be considered for it to rescue the country in 2023, saying the eight years of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had left Nigeria sharply divided.

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Makinde said, “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 the South-West is asking that the National Working Committee of the PDP should be restructured.

“Eight years of APC has left us sharply divided. The issue is we must practice what we preach. If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify PDP first.

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

After establishing the premise for inclusivity, Makinde called for the resignation of Ayu for the people of the South to feel a sense of belonging in the party.

The Oyo State Governor and his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, have been calling for the resignation of the PDP National Chairman in a bid to see that all key positions in the party are not held by individuals from the North.

“The truth is that we do not have any issue either with our party or our candidate. If there are challenges they must be tabled. We are supposed to give hope to our people, we want them to listen to us.

“Our party wants to rescue Nigeria and our candidate is a unifier. He wants to restructure Nigeria. We are asking the National Chairman to step down so that the South will be fully included. That is the message.”

There had been calls for the resignation of Ayu as the PDP chairman since the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.

Wike and his associates had demanded the resignation of Ayu as a condition for them to campaign for Atiku ahead of the 2023 general election, saying they should be allowed to choose his successor.

The governor and his loyalists said all top positions in the PDP are being occupied by northerners, noting that Ayu, who is from the North-Central must resign as a concession to the South.

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Meanwhile, a PDP chieftain, Dare Adeleke, who was part of the South-West stakeholders meeting held in Ibadan reiterated the position of Makinde saying Ayu must go.

Adele disclosed that Makinde’s stand on Ayu remains South-West position saying this is the only way there could be justice and equity in the party.

Adeleke dismissed with a wave of hands that issue of constitution raised by the party flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar saying the party was only pandering to mere politics.

“After all, Wike removed the former chairman, Uche Secondus without much ado. Already, there is a tradition, which serves as a kind of precedence. it is expected that the party will jettison constitution and embrace tradition for us to move forward.

“Besides, the NEC has the power to the needful…it is a moral thing.”

When he was reminded by the anchor of the programme, Seun Okinbaloye that the NEC passed vote of confidence on Ayu, Adeleke said the whole exercise was stage managed by the leadership of the party.

“Although, we are not bothered by such decision but that does not change our position. Some of us walked away at the meeting but it is still our party.

We allowed this during Goodluck Jonathan’s regime and South West was short changed. We don’t want a repeat of that. This political imbalance can still be corrected before the campaign finally kick off.

“Ayu should be magnanimous enough to resign his position now, at least for the sake of the party”.

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However, reacting to the request made by Makinde that Ayu should resign, Atiku insisted that the resignation of Ayu is achievable if the party’s constitution is amended.

Atiku said, “Only if the PDP constitution is amended. The calls for the resignation of the national chairman or any national officer can only be achieved through the party’s constitution. The party’s constitution can only be amended. It is possible.

“When I was the Vice President, we took over South West except for Lagos State. I don’t want us to lose focus, the focus is on how to win the 2023 elections. I know that we are capable, we can do that.”