Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asserted that he has the power to prevent Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and other PDP leaders from achieving their goals by asking for his resignation.
Ayu reportedly said this in Tiv dialect on Friday while addressing the throng that welcomed him back to his hometown of Gboko in Benue state, according to Anaedoonline.ng.
Recall that Ortom alongside five other PDP governors had called for Ayu’s resignation after the party presidential primary contest that delivered Abubakar Atiku as the party’s standard-bearer.
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According to Ortom and the camp of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, the presidential candidate and the National Chairman cannot come from the same region, hence the request for Ayu to step aside.
The PDP conflict, which has divided the party in Benue, is endangering the governor’s hopes of becoming a senator, as Ayu’s relatives in the Jemgbah axis accuse Ortom of conspiring with others to remove their son from his high office.
Ayu claimed in a meeting with his supporters that he had the authority to prevent any candidate from running on the party’s platform, particularly in the state, as retaliation for the calls for his resignation.
The PDP national chairman said as a father of all party members and in his quest to avoid a crack in the party, he has decided to remain silent.
He said, “I have been silent over all the things you are hearing against me because I don’t want any crack in the party I belong in my state, I have the powers to say you and you will not go anywhere because I will insist that I must sign before you go anywhere.
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“But I have signed for all candidates produced by the PDP to go ahead in their dreams, whether I like it or not I signed.
“So I was doing that believing that I cannot shoot myself in the leg. I want Benue to come first by winning all elections so that Nigerians will say that the national chairman has delivered his state to PDP with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar winning 90 percent of the votes and Titus Uba as governor in 2023.”
Ayu said that the opposition party is one and not divided, warning his followers not to be alarmed by what some politicians are saying.
In order to win all of the elections and take care of the welfare of the Tiv people, the PDP chairman urged the state’s citizens to cast a large number of PDP votes.
He said, “Nothing should worry you, my people. Since I started politics more than 30 years ago, you have never rejected me, you are always supporting me. They say a prophet has no respect in his home, but my case is different I am overwhelmed by this great show of love.
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“The PDP is one and not divided. I am trying my best not to disappoint the Benue people and Nigerians in general, so if you hear that they want to chase Ayu out as national chairman, don’t be worried; nobody is going to sack me as national chairman of our party. I will leave the seat on a day that God permits.
“It is God that enthrones leadership, He uses people to enthrone a person over others and protects that person. I want to assure you that all these days, God has been protecting me even when I went on sick leave abroad, God is still protecting me.
“The Tiv people have suffered so much in this country. We are yet to get our share of the national cake, so my charge to you is not to relent in prayers so that this time around come 2023, God will give us a president who will work closely with the Governor of our state to wipe out our tears.
“During Senator J S Tarka’s era, God gave us a Fulani man, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, did he fight the Tiv nation? Did he kill our people? He appointed five ministers from Benue State and speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Chaha, Paul Unongo (Minister of steel), Isaac Shaahu (Minister of Communications), Mrs Elizabeth Ivase (Education Minister), and former Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, etc.
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“Another Fulani man, Yar Adua appointed a Tiv man, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, his Minister of Justice.
“Today, the standard bearer of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, who is not only a chieftaincy title holder of the Tiv people as the Zege Mule U Tiv, he is my friend, he told me his plans for the Tiv nation. That he will wipe away the tears of our people.
“So nobody should try to bring any troubles to you. I am telling you today, PDP is one party, a party that has divisions and does not win elections. No matter the strength of any party, if it does not have unity, it will lose elections.”
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