Amidst the stormy crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, Timothy Osadolor has expressed optimism that the party would come out stronger and rejuvenated.
According to him, he is positive that the embattled national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu would survive the current turbulence despite speculations that plans to ensure his sack has thickened.
Naija News recalls that last week Monday, March 28, a Makurdi High Court presided over by Justice Wilfred Kpochi issued an interim order restraining Ayu from “parading himself as the National Chairman of PDP.”
The order of the court followed an ex-parte application brought before the court by a PDP stalwart, Mr Conrad Utaan against Ayu and the PDP in a suit No MHC/85/2023.
However, it was learnt that Osadolor told The Punch that “Ayu is democratic and he is a man of high pedigree. That he obeys the laws of the land gives credence to his character and his person. It also means that he knows what he is doing, he knows what is good in the interest of the party and in the interest of building and strengthening our democratic processes.
“He will come back because the grounds upon which he was suspended are faulty and shaky and they have no basis in law.
“The restraining order was purported, it wasn’t given on the strength of his suspension but instigated by state actors through puppets executives in his wards which has no place in the constitution of the PDP. I mean people who have no right in the constitution of the PDP to suspend the national officers were arrogating themselves powers that they didn’t have.”
The PDP chieftain denied thoughts that Ayu might likely go like his predecessor, Uche Secondus.
Osadolor explained that “Uche Secondus’ exit was premised on similar routes but let me tell you that Senator Ayu and this current NWC will not fall victim to the shenanigans of Governor Wike and his cohorts.
“That it worked for him before does not mean that it will work for him again. Don’t forget that when Uche Secondus was being removed, his NWC became split and voted against him and the NEC also ratified his exit but that is not the case here. I am sure that in the next few days, a NEC meeting will be convened, and I am sure that the elders and the leaders of the party will sit down and put their best foot forward.
“I see Ayu surviving this and leading PDP to victory again. I see the party become more united, bigger and better under Ayu. I see a rebirth and a renewal of the PDP spirit under the Iyorchia Ayu-led working committee.”
According to him, those calling for Ayu’s resignation because he didn’t lead the party to victory had no moral right to do so.
He stated that “For those that are calling on Ayu to resign, let’s first go back to their units and their wards. How many of them won, and how many of them worked and stood by the party? See, you cannot be a black pot and be laughing at a black kettle, no! That Senator Ayu is having this challenge today does not mean that we should all rally around to stone him, to hit him harder even when he doesn’t deserve to be treated so unfairly and poorly.
“Senator Ayu could not have been in those over 176,000 polling units across the country. Was he the one that made those leaders lose their polling units? If we want to build the party, let’s build the party; if we want to have a party, let’s have a party, the issue of name-calling should be put aside for now and let us tell ourselves the truth.
“Let nobody grandstand to say that it would have been better for Ayu to go. Was Ayu the one that made Ortom lose the Senatorial election? Was Ayu the one that made Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu lose their elections?
“The truth is that we sabotaged ourselves and our leaders were too comfortable with the brand that we were marketing. Some of them didn’t even go home, and some of them did not network. They did nothing.”