Walid Jibrin, chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has resigned from his position, six months to the end of his tenure.
Jibrin tendered his resignation on Thursday at the scheduled meeting of the board at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
His resignation paved the way for the appointment of Adolphus Wabara, a former Senate president, as the acting chairman of the BoT of the PDP.
This was as Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the party, at the meeting, commended Jubrin for what he described as his patriotism. Atiku, who acknowledged that there could always be a family disagreement, emphasised the need to always resolve it internally.
Wabara while addressing members of the party after his appointment, called on all members to avoid careless utterances that could further generate bad blood within the PDP. Wabara urged all members to join hands and work towards the party’s success in the 2023 general elections.
Members at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, also passed a vote of confidence on Iyorchia Ayu, the national chairman.
The BoT meeting preceded by the NEC meeting, called to prepare the party, ahead of the flag off of the campaigns for the 2023 general elections.
The outgone BoT chairman had been a proponent of aligning the leadership of the party with its constitution that requires a balancing at the party’s helm of affairs
Jibrin’s resignation came on the backdrop of ongoing insistence by Governor Nyesom Wike-led group that Ayu should step down in line with the principles of zoning contained in Article 7 (2) (c) of the party’s 2006 constitution as amended, to allow the chairman come from the southern part of the country.
Read also: Wike says resignation of PDP BoT chairman is a distraction
The action is in line with his conviction that there is the need for realignment of the key positions in the main opposition party following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 presidential election.
The former vice president’s emergence had placed the ticket in the northern zone just like the office of the national chairman and that of BoT.
The Nasarawa State-born Jibrin has been the strongest voice in the party to canvas for the move to restructure the party offices to reflect diversity as he posited that it is unfair for both the presidential candidate of the party and its national chairman to come from the same zone.
“To tell the truth, it will not be fair for the president of Nigeria to be from the north, the chairman of the party from the north and the BoT chairman from the north,”
The party had held its caucus meeting at the Akwa Ibom House, Abuja on Wednesday night, where it was agreed to allow Ayu to continue in office,
The meeting was attended by the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Others who attended the meeting include Governor Tambuwal, Bala Mohammed and Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, Akwa Ibom deputy governor, Edo deputy, Bode George, Benue State deputy governor.
Others include Iyorchia Ayu; former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu; former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, and former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido
Debo Ologunagba, the party’s national publicity secretary, while speaking after the meeting, revealed that the party “is good to go”
According to him, “we are now ready to inaugurate our campaign team in the interest of our country and our party, PDP”
“We are doing well and happy. Our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar is here. We are ready and set to go” he said.
