Former President of the Senate of Nigeria, Adolphus Wabara, has been appointed as the new BoT Chairman, but the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says this is not enough, and falls short of what is required to resolve the rift in the party.
Wabara became PDP BOT Chairman, following the resignation of Walid Jibril in the midst of agitation by the southern caucus of the PDP for the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to step down for a southerner.
BASIC FACTS
- Following continuous agitation by the southern flank of the PDP for representation in the leadership of the party, Adolpus Wabara is PDP new BOT Chairman.
- Former PDP BOT Chairman Walid Jubril stepped down on Thursday to allow for replacement by a Southern.
- This however falls short of the demand of some PDP chieftains who wants the replacement of the National Chairman and not the BoT Chairman by a southerner.
WHAT WE KNOW
Sen. Adolpus Wabara has been appointed the new Board of Trustee (BOT) Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but his appointment is only in acting capacity.
His appointment came at the 97th National Executive Council meeting on Thursday. Wabara’s rise came as former Chairman, Sen. Walid Jubril voluntarily stepded from the position.
Until his appointment as BOT Chairman on Thursday, the former Senate President Adolpus Wabara was the Secretary of the BoT.
However, the PDP National chairman who announced Walid Jubril’s resignation as the NEC meeting commenced this Thursday is yet to resign, this is inspite of the fact the calls for resignation have specifically targeted him.
Earlier on Thursday, a Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic, Katch Ononuju, said that the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, wants the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, to resign so that he can have a peaceful party to win the February 2023 presidential poll.
Ononuju said the agitation for a southerner to replace Ayu is beyond Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, but a collective demand by the southern caucus of the PDP who are against the idea of northerners occupying the three top positions of the party – Atiku (Adamawa State), Ayu (Benue State); as well as the Board of Trustees’ Chairman, Walid Jibrin (Nasarawa State).
However, the National Chairman of the party has insisted that he won’t step down till after his four-year single term.
According to him, the agitation for a southern national chairman is an issue of inclusion, adding that the government of Atiku could be fraught with nepotism should he win the presidential election.
However, an associate of the PDP presidential candidate, Fabiyi Oladimeji, said the National Executive Committee of the party will decide whether Ayu should resign or not.
Oladimeji, who is the Director, Support Group and Events Technical Committee, Atiku For President 2023, also spoke alongside Ononuju on Channels Television’s breakfast show Thursday.
When asked whether Atiku wants Ayu to go or not, Oladimeji said, “Atiku will support the majority view of the party.”
NOTABLE QUOTE
While talking of his resignation, the former BOT Chairman said, “I am stepping down as the chairman of BoT. I am stepping down to make it easier for all of us,”
Speaking at the meeting, the PDP Chairman said, “He stepped down to enjoy his remaining months. He has served this party meritoriously rising to the position of BOT Secretary and Chairman”
“Even in the family, we have family disagreements, we disagree to settle it. This party is famous for resolving issues and going ahead to win elections, this time is not any different, we will resolve our issues”
Katch Onunuju speaking on Channels TV on Thursday said, “From my own insider information, the candidate wants Mr Ayu to resign but there are hogs in the party who are telling them, ‘Ayu, don’t resign’. I don’t know why. The candidate wants Mr Ayu to leave so that he could have a peaceful party to go to the election,” Ononuju said Thursday on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
“If Atiku keeps saying he is a unifier, let him now unify the party by taking decisions and also acting to aid the southerners in this issue of inclusion,”
“If he (Ayu) stays, he divides the party; if he stays, the party could lose. If he stays, the party implodes with the staying put.”
“If he (Ayu) goes, we have mechanisms, we’ve had chairmen who have left without completing their four-year term. The person (Uche Secondus) he replaced didn’t complete his four-year term. “He should understand the way he came is also the door he will go through. He should understand that our party is that way.
“Right now, we believe he is overstayed his welcome. So, politely, as members of the same party, so that he doesn’t continue to stay there and continue to call our governors children, he should simply just go away and let us sort ourselves.”
An associate of the PDP presidential candidate, Fabiyi Oladimeji, said in the same programme, that “Atiku is committed to peace and unity of the party because he understands that we need to go into this election united…Let’s respect the supremacy of the party. We have organs of the party which make decisions; we have the NEC, we have the Caucus, we have the BoT, we have the NWC. So, let the NEC which is the final organ take the decision; it is not the decision of Atiku,”
“Atiku will support the majority view of the party.”
COMMENTARY
Sen. Walid Jubril made good his promise to step down in a bid to help resolve the PDP crisis.
Recall that the Walid Jubril had agreed that it was only fair for the South to be included in top positions in the party.
The former BoT Chairman had previously maintained that the power structure in the party was abnormally schemed against the south. He has always supported the call to get the southern flank of the party properly represented in the power hierarchy of the PDP.
Recall Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and a former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Bode George, amongst other southern members of the main opposition party had consistently demanded Ayu’s resignation but the former senator maintained that he won’t resign. Rather it was Jubril who offered to step down.
Adolpus Wabara was senate president during the Obasanjo’s government. He succeeded Late Chuba Okadigbo as president of the senate. Wabara was forced to resign as senate president following allegations of corruption in the senate.
It remains to be seen how the camp of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State will react to the resignation of Walid Jubril and his immediate replacement by Wabara.
However, in a recent comment, Governor Wike dismissed anything short of the resignation of Prof Ayu from the office of the National Chairman of the PDP, noting that he (Ayu) already committed to this and must honour it.
The Rivers State governor also claimed that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had also taking this same positon in a private chart with him, and must see it through that Ayu resigns as expected.
Any question of whether the Wabara emergence as BOT Chairman is a product of negotiation and consensus or it was decided by a few has been answered by this recent outburst of Nyesom Wike.
The coming days will confirm if the PDP crisis have finally been resolved or the party needs more to resolve it.
