Coalition of the Northern Nigeria Peoples Democratic Party Youth Movement, on Friday protested at the PDP Secretariat in Kaduna, demanding the resignation of national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu.

The PDP is currently hit by crisis after Atiku Abubakar emerged the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.

Some PDP governors and leaders, particularly from southern Nigeria were insistent that for fairness, northern Nigeria should not hold both the party’s presidential ticket and national chairmanship position.

Leading in the struggle for resignation of Mr Ayu, who is from the North-Central, is Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers and other leaders of the party from southern Nigeria.

Spokesperson/leader of the Coalition, Shehu Isa-Dan’Inna, said they had been in PDP since 1999 without defection and had no plans to decamp even in the future.

He said for the PDP to win the presidential seat in the coming 2023 elections, the party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu must resign from his position as he had promised to.

Mr Isa-Dan’Inna said for the PDP to project transparency as it had always done, the North could not hold about three key positions in the party.

“PDP is not a Northern Peoples Democratic Party nor Southern Peoples Democratic Party, we have to be just and united, to enable us to win at various levels in the coming 2023 general elections,” he said.

He noted that Mr Ayu must go, to fulfill the promise he made that he would resign immediately after the party’s primary elections if a northerner emerged as the party’s flag bearer.

Mr Isa-Dan’Inna said they were reminding Mr Ayu to fulfill his promise because they were tired of opposition.

He said the country needed back the PDP at the helm of its affairs for the overall well being of Nigerians.

“If the PDP’s internal crises persist, I don’t think we will win the presidential election.

“About six governors are fighting one governor; in the South we have about four presidential aspirants cut across different parties which will reduce our votes, and the ruling party again which is strong,” he said.

“The other man is also so strong, we don’t want to divide our votes, that is why we are calling on Sen. Iyorchia Ayu to resign.

“It will be better for us to lose Ayu as the PDP Chairman and clinch the President seat, than to leave him and lose the presidency,” Mr Isa-Dan’Inna said.

He called on the PDP Board of Trustees, National Working Committee and the PDP caucus to be just and fair in order to get the party to victory.

“If Ayu should keep to his promise, victory will surely be ours and Nigerians will smile again, the party leaders must act to salvage Nigerians, we don’t want to continue suffering,” he said.

The PDP crisis got deeper on Wednesday, when loyalists to Mr Wike’s caucus pulled out of the Abubakar presidential campaign council after a meeting in Portharcourt, Rivers.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions reading: “Ayu Must Go”, “Ayu must step down”, “We need justice, and fairness for all”. 

(NAN)