Former members of the National Assembly from the South-West geopolitical zone have expressed their support for the embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, asking that he remains in office till after the 2023 general elections.
The Interim Coordinator, Peoples Democratic Party South-West Forum of Former Parliamentarians, Yemi Arokodare, in a statement issued on Sunday, urged members of the PDP across the zone to shelve personal interests and work for the success of the party in the elections.
The statement was titled, ‘We Must Be United to Win 2023 General Election – PDP South West Parliamentarians Forum Counsels…Wants Ayu to Stay Till After Polls.’
The forum commended the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, for his recent meeting with the party’s stakeholders in Ibadan, Oyo State, as part of the ongoing nationwide consultations in preparation for the polls, while also thanking Governor Seyi Makinde for hosting the meeting.
The statement partly read, “We wish to appeal to all the South-West leaders to tarry a bit on their request that the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, should step down as part of measures to address the lingering crisis in the party.”
According to the ex-lawmakers, the current crisis in the PDP may further cause imbalance and instability within the party, if allowed to linger.
While acknowledging the concerns raised by the PDP leaders and stakeholders at the meeting on the need to ensure fairness and equity in the party structure, the forum said it noted “the merit for inclusiveness of South-West within the party but we plead that this should come after the election.”