Onyekachi Eze, 
The post-convention crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), took another twist on Wednesday as mostgovernorselectedon the platform of the party boycotted the inauguration of the National Campaign Council fortheforthcoming Gubernatorial Election in Osun State. The party had earlier, named a 128-member national campaign council, which included 12 governors. But at the inauguration on Wednesday, eleven of the PDP governors, including the Bayelsa State governor Douye Diri who was named Chairman of the campaign council, were absent.
The two governors present were Ifeanyi Okowa and Dairus Ishaku of Delta and Taraba states respectively. Okowa is not a member of the council but was there apparently as the vice presidential candidate. The National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, was also absent, butastatementby his Special AssistantonCommunication and Strategy, Simon Imobo-Tswam, said Ayu was on a two-week leave. Crisis had hit the PDP following the choice of Okowa asrunningmatetotheparty’s presidentialcandidate, Atiku Abubakar. Most of the governors werenothappywiththedecision because his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, was reportedly recommended to him by the committees set upbythe partyto shortlist a running mate for him. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State said on a national television programme that he was among the17-membercommitteeset up by Atiku “and 14 of us in the committee said the person should be Wike. “Unfortunately, Atiku picked Okowa, that is his wisdom. “You cannot ignore decision of a committee you set up by yourself and expect people to be happy.
For now, Ihavegoneintohibernation.” Ortom could not state whether he would support the party’s presidential candidate or not, as he told his interviewers, “I am in hibernation. I am praying. When I finish the prayers and whatever God directs me, I will do. “We expect Atiku to do more but we are not seeing that.” The governor stated that Wike is a pillar in the PDP, and argued that, “currently, nobody in the party has contributed more for the party to move forward than Wike. “If Atiku was not going to honour the decision of the committee, he should have called Wike earlier and informed him. He didn’t do that.
“You can’t do things anyhow and expect us to be happy. Atiku should go to him. Why won’t he ignore their calls. Is that not an insult?” There have been calls for Ayu to resign as National Chairman since the emergence of Atiku (who is also from the North) as PDP presidential candidate. Earlier in the day, the social media was awash with alleged suspension of the National Chairman, “over allegations of misappropriation.” The news gained credence with the elevation of the Deputy National Chairman (North), Ambassador Umar Damagun, as acting National Chairman. Imobo-Tswam, who said Ayu remains PDP National Chairman, described a meeting presided over by Damagun as a “phantom emergency meeting of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).” He said, “Dr. Ayu took a well-deserved, two-week leave on 21st June, 2022. He will be back next week to resume duties, specifically on July 6, 2022.
“The general public is, therefore, advised to ignore the mischievous social media publications as they are purely the work of mischief makers and idle minds.” National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, also said the reported suspension of the National Chairman was meant to distablise the party and create an impression of crisis within its ranks.
“It is clear that the false report is the handiwork of vicious anti-people forces who are agitated by the stability, unity and soaring popularity of our party under the cohesive Senator (Dr.) Ayu-led National Working Committee, as well as the intimidating statures of our presidential and vice presidential candidates, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, and His Excellency, Sen. (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, respectively,” the statement added. PDP said Ayu complied with the provision of the constitution of the PDP 2017 (as amended), and transmitted power to Ambassador Damagun as Acting Capacity, pending his return. “It is instructive to state that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was duly informed on the absence of our National Chairman and that Ambassador Damagun will be performing the duties of the National Chairman in Acting Capacity pending Sen. Dr. Ayu’s return. “For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP and the NWC is united and Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu remains the National Chairman.
“The NWC therefore urges all members of our great party, our teeming supporters, the media and the general public to disregard the said report as fake news,” the party said. Okowa, however, expressed confidence that PDP would win the July 16 Osun governorship election. He admitted that the party has a lot of work to do to win the election.
“It is not a fun fare, and I believe that the membership of the campaign council inaugurated today are capable enough to truly go out there to deliver the state to the PDP. “I want to make an appeal to the campaign council: it is not about being inaugurated in Abuja. The work to be done is in Osun State. And I want to plead with them to ensure that they go out there to Osun State, work with the leadership of the party and work with the candidate of the party to ensure that everything is put in place to deliver the PDP in that election.
“From the information that we have, the APC is already in disarray in the state but that is not enough for us to go to sleep. “By the special grace of God, I will be joining you in the campaign to ensure that we have victory for our party, and I am glad to also announce that our presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on his return from his trip overseas, will also be with us during the campaigns,” Okowa said.
The acting National Chairman, Ambassador Damagun, said Osun governorship poll is key to the party’s presidential election. He expressed the belief that members of the council would deliver on their mandate, and advised that they should break into smaller committees to reach out to the Osun electorate. “I believe with the caliber of people that have been selected to steer this campaign organisation, I have no doubt that you will give us the desired result. “I also want to advise you to use that opportunity to engage the stakeholders in Osun, go to every corner. We have a very popular candidate in Osun and we have no reason not to win the election,” Damagun said.
