The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday appointed Umar Damagum to oversee the affairs of the party in acting capacity.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, announced this at a press conference at the party’s secretariat.
Damagun replaces Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman of the party who had been ordered not to Chairman the party by court
Meanwhile, The senator representing Enugu East and former Governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani, has asked Senator Iyorchia Ayu to vacate office as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party forthwith saying “his deception and abysmal performance are unmitigated”.
According to Nnamani, Ayu’s leadership style has brought misfortune to the PDP.
He said, “Ayu is just an unmitigated disaster. His leadership is an evil that befell the PDP. The only option left is to show him the exit door.
“How can Ayu be relying on the PDP constitution Section 57 (7) to seek refuge when he had flagrantly subverted the same section to sack key stakeholders of the party including me?”
Section 57(7) of the PDP constitution stipulates that “Notwithstanding any other provision relating to discipline, no executive committee at any level, except the National Executive Committee, shall entertain any question of discipline as may relate or concern a member of the National Executive Committee, Deputy Governors or members of the National Assembly.”
He recalled that the Ayu-led NWC relied on the aforementioned section to expel him when it lacked the power to do so pointing out that Ayu’s case now is “akin to the evil that men do lives with them.”
Nnamani further said Ayu lacked the moral right to stay a day longer in office as National Chairman.
“If he still has any modicum of honour, he should quit immediately. Look at the shame he has brought on the PDP. Look at the array of key stakeholders Ayu has sacked or forced to leave the party, Nnamani said.”
Nnamani, therefore, urged the NEC and the Board of Trustees of the party to wade in to show Ayu the exit door to save the party from complete extinction.
In thesame vein, The spokesman for he former governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, Lere Olayinka has said Ayu would be shown out for running the party aground by suspending the pillars of the party, saying Ayu’s greed and insensitivity had caused the party abysmal performance in the just concluded Election.
Lere while on a programme in Fresh FM on Monday anchored by Bamidele Okunola, said PDP has not gone into Oblivion because the party won 11 states in the election. He added that the party would be restructured after the exit of AYU. Lere Olayinka further enjoined PDP members to be calm, focus and anxiously await the re-birth the party.