The crisis rocking the major opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is still festering as the Forum of PDP candidates and aspirants yesterday passed a vote of no confidence on the national chairman, Sen Iyorchia Ayu; national secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, and deputy national chairman (North), Umar Damagum.
The candidates also petitioned the National Executive Committee (NEC) unanimously demanding the resignation or removal of Ayu, Anyanwu, and Damagum within 48 hours or face legal action that would forcefully exit the three officers from office.
The candidates who gathered to brainstorm at Fraser Hotel, Abuja, made other far-reaching decisions.
At the well-attended meeting, the PDP candidates and aspirants also alleged that the leadership of the party extorted several aspirants during the congresses, primaries, and national convention of the party, adding that even after primaries, they swapped the names of candidates with the names of persons who did not win.
According to them, these underhand actions of the leadership of the party are largely responsible for the nullification by the courts of the governorship primaries in Zamfara State and all primaries held in Ogun State, while noting that many more are still pending in court.
Chris Ogbu, who presided over the session as the forum’s coordinator and a House of Assembly candidate, read the communiqué just as he was flanked by Hon Dauda Yusuf, the forum’s secretary and former governor aspirant, as well as several other members.
He asked Ayu, Anyanwu, and Damagum to step down immediately or be sacked by the party within 48hrs or face legal action to force them from the office which will commence on Wednesday.
The candidates/aspirants said sharing money paid as nomination fees instead of utilising it for the prosecution of the 2023 election of the party was very provocative and indicting the image of the party.
They said voters now see them as a come-and-chop or share-the-money party, and that removing Ayu will go a long way in showing that PDP is now a party that is intolerant of corruption.
The group said they had already sent a strong worded petition to the party NEC and demanded the following which include” the immediate resignation of the trio.
