Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted that the party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu would not resign as demanded by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and other major stakeholders of the PDP in his camp.
Reacting to the withdrawal of Wike and members of his camp from the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Atiku urged the aggrieved party chieftains to have a rethink and retrace their steps.
In a statement on Wednesday, Atiku said, “On the calls for the resignation or removal from office of our national chairman, however, I must reiterate what I have said severally in public and in private; the decision for Dr Iyorchia Ayu to resign from office is personal to Dr Ayu and, neither I nor anyone else can make that decision for him.
“As to the calls for the removal of Dr. Ayu from office, however, I will state that, as a committed democrat and firm believer in the rule of law and democratic tenets, and our party being one set up, organised and regulated by law and our constitution, it is my absolute belief that everything that we do in our party must be done in accordance with, and conformity to, the law and our constitution.
“If Dr. Ayu is to be removed from office, it must be done in accordance with the laws that set out the basis for such removal. In any event, you will all recall that the very body that is empowered by law to initiate this removal from office, has already passed a vote of confidence in him”.
(THE NATION)
