2023: Wike's group advises Arapaja as Acting National Chairman of PDP

The camp of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has proposed the appointment of Taofeek Arapaja as the party's interim national chairman.

PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported on Friday that the group, in a meeting it held in London on Thursday with the party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, demanded the resignation of national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition to sit down and negotiate with Atiku for the group's support in the upcoming presidential election.

Members of the group who attended the meeting held over dinner at the Carlton Hotel in Park Lane, London, include Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue, Seyi Makinde of Oyo and Okezie Ikpeazu from Abia as well as former governors Donald Duke from Cross Rivers, Segun Mimiko from Ondo and Ibrahim Dankwambo from Gombe.

The group gave two main reasons for its request for the resignation of Mr. Ayu. The first is to correct the imbalance in the leadership of the party in which all the high national offices of the PDP are held by members of the northern zones of the country.

He said that Mr. Ayu himself had foreseen such an imbalance before being elected by consensus last year and had pledged to step down if the party also nominated a northerner as its candidate for the presidency.

The second reason given by the group was the alleged division of Mr. Ayu, saying that his style of leadership had aggravated the crises within the party.

The Wike Group believes that Atiku can persuade Mr. Ayu to resign because they are allies and the national president had backed Atiku covertly in the party primaries.

During the meeting, Atiku had pointed out to the group that Mr. Ayu's resignation would not correct the imbalance in the leadership, as the National Vice President (North), Umar Damagum, would be required to fill the Vacancy. create, in accordance with the provisions of the party constitution.

The party constitution stipulates that the national vice president of the national president's home region would act in the absence of the national president or take the position if it becomes vacant before the end of his term.

But the Wike Group said this constitutional hurdle could be circumvented by the resignation of Mr. Ayu and Mr. Damagum to give Mr. Arapaja a clear path to the seat.

Mr. Arapaja is a former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and Deputy National Chairman of the South West Party until his election to his current position. He is an ally of Governor Makinde, one of the governors of Camp Wike.

It should be noted that the South West zone has never produced a national PDP president.

The Wike Group also noted that a precedent for its proposal was set in 2010 when Haliru Mohammed, who was then the National Vice President (North), took over as Acting National President after Okwesileze Nwodo of Enugu State in the South East. The zone was forced to resign after Goodluck Jonathan became president, following the death of President Umar Yar'adua.

The group proposed that Mr. Arapaja hold the post on an interim basis until after the general election, when the party could then decide on a substantive national chairman.

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