A former Information Minister, Edwin Clark has called for the immediate resignation of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, over the party’s primary election.
Clark said Ayu’s undignified conduct during the PDP’s presidential election was a disgrace to the office he occupies.
The elder statesman accused the PDP National Chairman of trying to please Northern principals.
He was reacting to the decision of the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal to withdraw from the presidential race during the party’s primary election.
Clark noted that Tambuwal’s action showed that there was a game plan for Atiku Abubakar to emerge as PDP’s presidential candidate.
In a statement he signed, Clark said Tambuwal’s action had shown that there were “pressures mounted on Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki to also withdraw, while Tambuwal deliberately delayed his action till the last minute. By so doing, he unduly swept his North West votes to Atiku Abubakar.
“This clearly reveals his partiality and predilection in the processes leading to the baffling conclusion of the PDP Presidential Primary. His undignified and parochial conduct to please his northern principals is not only a big disgrace to the office he occupies but, also a sad display of lewd subservience to the political subjugation of one ethnic group, in a diverse country like Nigeria.
“We had earlier suspected that he was in favour of a northern candidate, when on the day of his inauguration as National Chairman last year, he, needlessly, said during his speech, that he would resign if a Northerner emerged as the Presidential Candidate of the Party.
“PDP chairman should, therefore, no longer consider himself fit and proper to retain his position and should resign immediately.”
Tambuwal had withdrawn during the PDP presidential primaries, and this is believed to have aided former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in clinching the party’s ticket.
Atiku clinched the PDP’s ticket after he polled 371 votes to defeat his closest rival, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who had 237 votes during the just concluded convention in Abuja.
