PDP Awaits Court Decision on Ayu Before NEC Meeting

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will wait for tomorrow’s decision by a Benue State High Court presided over by Justice WI Kpochi on the fate of its suspended National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, before scheduling a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC), THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
THISDAY also learnt that the supplementary polls that took place yesterday also contributed to the delay in fixing the NEC meeting of the party.
Two influential PDP governors, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, and Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State had their second term ambition and senatorial bid, respectively, decided in yesterday’s polls.

THISDAY gathered that the restraining order against Ayu is expected to be decided tomorrow to determine whether or not the embattled national chairman can go back to his office.
A party source told THISDAY at the weekend that if Ayu fails to convince the court to vacate the order, a NEC meeting would be summoned to decide on a  substantive national chairman, pointing out that PDP affairs cannot be in the hands of an acting chairman in perpetuity.

He also noted that with the emergence of the National Secretary of the PDP, Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the governorship candidate of the party in the November 11, 2023 governorship candidate in Imo State, he is expected to resign 150 days before the election.
According to one of the members of the PDP NWC, the party leaders had resolved that the affairs of the party should not be run by the acting national chairman and acting national secretary, hence the need for a NEC meeting.

He said that after yesterday’s supplementary elections and tomorrow’s court decision, a NEC meeting could be considered.
He explained that the running of the affairs of the party was also affected by the support given the G-5 governors by its Deputy National Chairman, Ambassador Taofeek  Arapaja and the Vice National Chairman for the South-south, Dan Orbih.
He said the officers’ support to G-5 polarised the NWC as they stopped participating in the affairs of the NWC of the party, thus making an NEC meeting inevitable.

The source said: “For some time now since last year, and for reasons known to them, they stopped attending the leadership meeting of the party. So, for us, once the coast is clear with the injunction lifted or not, and with the conclusion of the supplementary election, a NEC would be summoned to address issues, including vacant positions that have emerged.”
He said with the imminent resignation of Anyanwu who is now the governorship candidate of the party in Imo State, an acting secretary is expected to emerge from the South-west.

A Benue High Court had last month restrained Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.

Ayu had in obedience to the order stepped aside, while the Deputy National Chairman, Ambassador Illya Damagum, stepped in as Acting National Chairman, pending the outcome of the case of an anti-party suit against Ayu.