*Insists ‘No monkey again in Idanre’
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has faulted the decision of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), urging the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to vacate office after the 2023 general elections.
After its meeting in Abuja on Friday, the acting Chairman of BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said the body urged Ayu to vacate office after the 2023 elections.
But, George, a Permanent Member of the body, would have none of that.
To the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland and former Military Governor of old Ondo State (1987 – 1990), Ayu must leave office now.
“The decision that Ayu should resign after the 2023 elections cannot stand. He should resign now.
“I am a Permanent Member of the Board and I never got any invitation to attend the meeting. That shows that something was wrong somewhere. There was no letter. Are you saying some of us are no longer members of BoT? Are you saying anybody not singing the same tune with you now is a member of the opposition?
“I spent 10 years as a top official of the National Working Committee (NWC) of our party, so I know how the system works. I was privileged to be the South-West Chairman when we won in all the states in South-West, including Lagos, in 2003. We know who rigged the election for his friend in Lagos in 2003. He said it openly.
“The reason some people are insisting that Ayu should remain as National Chairman, I still don’t know.
“I am sure people insisting that Ayu should not go do not want Atiku Abubakar to win the presidential election. We need everybody to be on board, to be convinced that the victory will be collective. How can you sideline Southerners, controlling tens of millions of votes, and expect to win? How could some members of BoT pass a vote of confidence in Ayu, deliberately refusing to extend invitation to others?
“Are you driving the party to a scenario which the founding fathers never envisaged, dividing the party into Northern PDP and Southern PDP? Are they telling some of us to join another party now?
“There are six top positions in our party, three before the election and three after. Before the election, we have Presidential Candidate, Vice Presidential Candidate and National Chairman.
“After the election, the other three – Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) – will be added.
“The National Chairman is the Chairman of the National Campaign. He is from the North. Our Presidential Candidate is from the North. We also have a situation in which the Director-General of the campaign is from the North. I don’t know why the Presidential Candidate and the National Chairman should come from the North.
“Ko si Obo mo ni Idanre (there is no Monkey again in Idanre). These people think Southerners are fools. How will you get votes from the South when you have completely sidelined Southerners and you are telling us that anybody can go to hell?
“I don’t know why these people are trivialising this matter, a few months to the election. Uche Secondus (former National Chairman) was removed because it was believed the Presidential Candidate would emerge from the South. PDP is not a private company. What is so sacrosanct about Ayu that he must remain National Chairman at this time, at all cost?
“Why is it difficult for him to honour an agreement? What is wrong if Ayu goes now, to be replaced by a Southerner? Why is Ayu behaving as if this is a lifeline? This decision falls short of justice, fairness and equity. This is what Yoruba call ‘wuruwuru to the answer’.
“What they are saying is that they don’t need Southerners’ votes during the election which will be unfortunate as it will spell doom for the party on February 25 and March 11, 2023.
“What they are also saying is that if they win, they will shut the gates of Aso Rock Presidential Villa against Southerners. Because of one man, you want to jettison the whole South. Is there any sense in that?
“I spent 10 years at NWC and I have never seen this type of arrogance in our party. I don’t see how this will work. This is not about me, Wike or any other person. It is about fairness, justice, equity, character and respecting the zoning arrangement of our party.
“We all recognise the fact that Abubakar Atiku is our Presidential Candidate, Governor Okowa is our Vice Presidential Candidate. What is wrong if Ayu says I’m stepping down based on what I said before the presidential primary conducted in May? Why is he not looking at the bigger picture of PDP winning the election next year? What level of selfishness and arrogance is this?”
