Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has insisted on the resignation of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Iyorchia Ayu, as a precondition for the party’s unity ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

At the ongoing stakeholders meeting in Ibadan, where the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar were present, Mr Makinde yet again demanded that Mr Ayu resigns. According to Mr Makinde, Mr Ayu’s resignation is critical to inclusivity within the party. 

“We are asking the National Chairman to step down so that the South will be included. That is the message,” Mr Makinde said. 

“The truth is that we do not have any issue either with our party or our candidate. If there are challenges, they must be tabled. We are supposed to give hope to our people, we want them to listen to us. Our party wants to rescue Nigeria, and our candidate is a unifier. He wants to restructure Nigeria

“Eight years of the All Progressives Congress have left us sharply divided. The issue is we must practice what we preach. If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify the PDP first.

“If we want to restructure Nigeria, we must have the willingness to bring inclusivity to the PDP. Do we have the capacity? The answer is a resounding yes,” Mr Makinde said.