Make Demands On Atiku, Forget Ayu – PDP Campaign To G5

The persistent dispute between the camps of the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, and five disgruntled governors elected on the party’s platform appears to have no end in sight.

Last week, Atiku declared his willingness to engage the five governors, who had earlier in the week insisted that the doors to reconciliation were totally open.

According to Anaedoonline.ng, a truce between the parties was not in the cards due to the failure of the aggrieved governor to shift grounds on their demand.

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The governors of Rivers, Oyo, Abia, Benue, and Enugu states, Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), are demanding the resignation/removal of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for

While in Lagos recently for a meeting with other party chieftains, including former PDP Board of Trustees chairman, Chief Bode George, and former Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, the governors told the media that while their demand for justice, fairness, and equity remained unwavering, they were willing to embrace peace in the interest of all.

This caused Atiku to accept their position, potentially opening the door to talks.

However, when the former Vice President made steps to bring the governors back to the negotiating table, they (the G-5) made it clear that they were not ready for discussions with Ayu as party leader.

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This stance, according to Newsmen, had made future peace discussions difficult, even as Atiku resumed his campaign and the governors retreated into their shells.

Confirming what looked to be a breakdown in negotiations, Timothy Osadolor, the party’s Deputy National Youth Leader, told this medium that while Atiku never “ran away from an opportunity to address the issues presented,” those on the other side “did their thing as usual.”

He stressed, “It takes two to agree. It is unfortunate that our candidate is being made to face this kind of situation. Even though he has nothing to do with their demand (Ayu’s resignation), he has on many occasions reached out to these aggrieved party for a truce. You can’t be open to reconciliation and yet, you are not ready to shift ground. It doesn’t work that way.”

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Senator Ibrahim Tsauri, the PDP’s immediate past National Secretary and a member of the party’s National Executive Committee, also spoke, saying Atiku had tried everything to reconcile with the Wike-led group to no effect.

Tsauri, lamenting the state of events in the party with only two months till the elections, emphasized that the G-5 should make a new demand other than Ayu’s resignation.

Tsauri distanced himself from calls in some places for the party to call the five governors’ bluff, saying, “Nobody can look down on a serving governor, let alone five.” This is due to the fact that they are extremely powerful.”

He continued, “An end to this crisis may not be near but it is not far too. I think the governors want to negotiate and that is fine. But they should not make the removal of Ayu as the only condition that must be met for them to return to join the presidential campaign team. What is good is that they have consistently maintained that they are open to reconciliation. If they had said otherwise, the party would have known what to do.”

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Also speaking, Charles Aniagwu, Delta State Commissioner for Information and spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization, told our correspondent that reconciliation is taking longer because the governors have yet to realize that what they were asking Atiku to do with Ayu’s removal was beyond his powers.

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