-By Austen Akhagbeme:
The recent call by the youthful governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state for the resignation of the embattled Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP helped to tighten the noose Governor Wike threw at the neck of the former senate President, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.
That the PDP is engulfed in a hot crisis at this critical point in time is one that should draw the attention of every avowed political watcher and that of the power configuration within the party with a view to resolving the matter carefully and tactically without casualties.
But unfortunately, it has become a test of resolve for the party on one hand and an egoistic massage for the dramatis personae on the other. And this is weakening the grip of the party on the minds of the electorates come 2023.
Governor Wike and Makinde’s grouse with the party is fundamental as they are insisting that the Chairman and Presidential candidate of the party cannot come from the same region.
Atiku’s body language and response to Makinde’s demand seem to suggest that Dr Ayu is on his way to Golgotha. So many pundits have constantly thought that it is only a question of time before Ayu throws in the towel given the forces against him championed by the indefatigable governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike.
Even though Governor Wike’s call is being perceived in some quarters as a sheer vendetta borne out of egotistical greed and personal aggrandisement, it is pertinent to note that the present NWC as constituted today, contravenes the spirit and letter of the Party’s constitution as it was from the beginning.
The intrigue and the fierce power play before, during and immediately after the Presidential primaries of the PDP have left some bruises and scars on the back of some power blocs that are fighting for survival up until now. Besides, the hitherto rotational power configuration was wantonly rejigged to favour some forces against the usual and the familiar.
It is, therefore, in the interest of the presidential candidate, the Chairman and all stakeholders in the party to do the needful to put the house in order as the campaign kick-off time is drawing near. There’s just no position of any individual that is more important than the party’s collective desire to capture power at the polls next year. May Senator Ayu find a reason to listen to the voice of his conscience than that of his ego in a few days to come.
