Division has been recorded among members and governors elected under the aegis of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over plans to remove the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.
According to reports gathered removing Ayu is one of the conditions tabled by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike for peace to be restored to the party.
Wike and his loyalists – which includes some governors – are calling on Ayu to resign as he had promised to step down if the presidential candidate of the party comes from the northern part of the country just like him.
However, some governors opposed to Wike’s demand believe that even if Ayu should step down, it should not be now to avoid a crisis that might rock the political boat of the party and lead to its defeat in the election.
The crisis has polarised the PDP Governors Forum, as well as other organs of the opposition party, including the National Working Committee.
It was gathered that members of the PDP NWC are also divided as they owe allegiance to governors that facilitated their elections into the party’s organ.
According to reports, the PDP Governors Forum – which has not held any meeting since the emergence of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as the running mate of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar – is divided into two groups, but one of them is reportedly non-committal at the moment.
Those on the side of Wike include Seyi Makinde, Samuel Ortom, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Oyo, Benue, Enugu, and Abia states, respectively. In contrast, Okowa, Aminu Tambuwal, Ahmadu Fintiri, Darius Ishaku, Godwin Obaseki, Emmanuel Udom, and Diri Douye of Delta, Sokoto, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa states are said to be backing Ayu and Atiku Abubakar.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi is reportedly not a member of any of those groups.
 over plans to remove the National Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.){kind=link}