Though Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have had a good discussion with Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, Senator Maeba, has insisted that the National Chairman of the party Ayu Iyorchia will not resign from his position.
Goldennewsng reports that the call for Ayu’s resignation which had become an issue of discussion among the opposition PDP chieftains was opposed by Maeba who is a loyalist of Atiku and Rivers State PDP chieftain and in the same camp as former governor of the state, Omeiha and former deputy speaker, Austin Opara.
PDP, Walid Jibrin and a chieftain of the PDP, Chief Bode George were unanimous with Wike’s demand for the resignation of Ayu.
According to the party chieftains Jibrin and Bode, the president of the country, that is if Atiku wins the 2023 general election, and the party’s national chairman cannot come from the same North.
While Senator Maeba, agrees with the position of the party chieftains, citing the resignation of the then party national chairman when Yar’ Adua was elected president, he argued that Ayu should not demand six months to the national election.
The former senator of Rivers South East who spoke on Arise TV programme said, “the arrangement is that the chairman cannot come from the same zone as the president.
“When Yar’adua emerged as the president of Nigeria, Ali resigned and there was a reshuffling.
“Because this reshuffling even calls for a mini-convention and if you ask me will any sincere party man who wants the party to win the election be demanding for a convention at this time, in the middle of the election? “My answer will be no.
“The common convention is that the president and the chairman cannot come from the same zone.”
Goldennewsng had reported that Atiku met Wike and other PDP governors in London on Thursday to discuss ways of resolving their disagreement which kicked off after the May presidential primary election.
The disagreement between Wike and Atiku reached the zenith with Atiku’s choice of Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State governor as running mate against the party’s VP committee’s recommended choice of Wike.
On Thursday, an insider in the London meeting revealed that Atiku agreed to Wike’s demand and was ready to sign every agreement with the Rivers State governor.
