By Gideon Njoku

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is alarmed by the contents of a disturbing video making the rounds, and threatening Nigerians

In the video, the  Governor  of Kogi State, was seen threatening fire and brimstone. He said there will be fire in 2023. He said he would hold the fire in his hands and anybody who fail to do his bidding will be consumed by the fire, and thus join his mother (the Governor’s mother) in her grave.

The Governor spoke when he was addressing his supporters.

But the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, says it is horified by the contents of the video.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba the Governor was “inciting his supporters, threatening to burn and unleash maximum violence on Nigerians during the 2023 general elections.”

Said the Party: “In the video, Governor Bello was heard issuing terrorism threats in which he said, “I will personally light a fierce fire in my hand whoever want it we shall use it to burn them, whoever survive it will thank God… Whoever is against us we will make him or her join my mother and lie with her (my mother) in grave.”

By FBI definition, terrorism, the PDP noted, is the “unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives”.

The Party continued: “This brazen threat by Governor Yahaya Bello raises apprehensions in the public space of the existence of a killer squad established to inflict violence on Nigerians ahead of the 2023 general elections just because they have rejected the corrupt, divisive and rudderless All Progressives Congress (APC), which failure is most manifest by Yahaya Bello’s abysmal performance in Kogi State.

“From his outburst, Nigerians now know the individuals who engineered the gruesome killing of many of our citizens including the PDP Woman Leader in Kogi State, Mrs. Salome Abu, who was burnt alive in her house in 2019,

“Also, Nigerians now have more insight into the disappearance of Hon. Adelabu Musa, the PDP Chairman in Okene Local Government Area for over three years now.

“Furthermore, the PDP recalls how the Bello-led Kogi State Government was accused of breeding and arming thugs as well as fake security operatives to harass and attack Nigerians in Kogi State during the 2019 general elections.

“This threat to violence and actual violence to Nigerians especially at this time have the capacity to cause a breach of public peace, truncate the 2023 electoral process and derail our democracy.”

The PDP asked President Muhammadu Buhari call Governor  Bello to order and place him and his supporters on security watch list as threat to democracy ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“Our Party also charges the Inspector General of Police to immediately commence a comprehensive investigation into the activities of Governor Yahaya Bello with a view to nipping this ugly trend in the bud as well as prosecuting him at the end of his tenure as Governor of Kogi State.

“We urge Nigerians, especially those in Kogi State not to be deterred by Yahaya Bello whose days in office are numbered but remain vigilant and continue to rally with the PDP in the determination to liberate our nation from the stranglehold of the APC and the likes of Yahaya Bello, come 2023”

By Akinwale Kasali

The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, keeps lingering with no respite in sight, as the calls for the removal of the National Chairman of the Party, Iyorchia Ayu reverberate.

This has led to speculation  over the fate of the Party holding its  National Executive Council, NEC, Meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 9, 2022.

It was gathered that some members of NEC from the South argue that Ayu’s removal is the only way out of the lingering crisis confronting the party, while the Chairman’s supporters say would not step aside at this critical time when the PDP was preparing for election.

The crisis followed the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the Presidential Candidate of the Party to the disappointment of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike who lost at the PDP Presidential Primaries following, among other factors, the last minute withdrawal of Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, pledging his support for Atiku.

Again, in the choice of the Vice Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Wike was shunned for Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.

The argument of Wike’s Camp is that Ayu should resign as the Party Chairman since the Presidential candidate should not hail from the same region as the Party’s Chairman, as well as the Board of Trustees Chairman.

Though the PDP set up a panel to resolve the crisis, Wike, supported by four governors and some stakeholders has continued to insist on Ayu’s removal.

Resisting the pressure to leave office, the Party Chair vowed to stay till the end of his four-year tenure. He also dismissed those demanding for  his removal as youngsters who had little knowledge about the formation of the PDP.

The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Oyo State, Akeem Olatunji, stressed that Ayu’s removal would facilitate Atiku’s electoral victory.

While explaining that the State Chapter of the party had nothing against Atiku and Ayu, Olatunji said their demand was borne out of their desire to see the party emerge victorious at the poll.

He said, “We are passionate about Alhaji Abubakar Atiku winning this presidential election and that is why we are calling for Senator Iyorchia Ayu to step aside and allow somebody from the South to take over.

“We don’t want Alhaji Atiku to just be a presidential candidate, we want him to transform from a candidate to the President-elect of this country by February 2023.

“We believe that part of what can make our job easier is for the national chairmanship of the PDP to come from the South. We don’t want our opponents to use that to campaign against us.

“It’s not that we have anything against Atiku or Senator Ayu, we are not their enemies; we want the party to win. It is better we sort this out now and that is what we are saying. We want the national chairmanship of the PDP to come to the South for balance.”

The stand of the Oyo PDP was also corroborated by the Rivers PDP, as its PDP Chairman, Ambassador Desmond Akawor who called for the resignation of the National Chairman, stressing that the Party Leadership and the Presidential candidate cannot come from the same region.

He said, ‘’That is the commitment he (Ayu) made before we elected the presidential candidate, so he has to fulfill his commitment. He must resign; he should fulfill his commitment. We can’t have the BoT chairman from the north, deputy national chairman and presidential candidate all from the north. Other regions will feel relegated.

“How do we campaign for the people? The election is based on interest, how do we preach to them? Should we tell them when the presidential candidate wins things will normalize? Is that what we are going to preach to the people?’’

Akawor further stated that the power blocs were only seeking equity, justice and fair play, therefore, their quest should be regarded.

He noted: ‘’We don’t have different power blocs; they are people who are requesting equity and fairness, which is the fulcrum of the party.  How are we protected as a zone; how is our interest protected? That is what we are asking for?  So, when these questions are answered, I don’t think we’ll  have a power bloc; PDP is one party.’’

But the Osun PDP Acting Chairman, Dr Akindele Adekunle, said Ayu should not be made to resign, at least not now that the party is  preparing for a General Election.

Adekunle said, “There is no point asking Dr Ayu to resign a few months before the presidential election.  My take is to allow the status quo to remain and make changes after the 2023 elections.”

The Ebonyi State Chairman of the PDP, Okoroafor Okorie is of the view that the right thing was ‘’for somebody to make a sacrifice by stepping down from his position which provides a balance in the leadership of the party.’’

“The truth is nobody was born with any position. It is easier to say let’s balance the polity allowing the chairmanship to come from somewhere. If that is the sacrifice that someone has to make in the overall interest of the party, it is a sacrifice worth making.

‘’For me, PDP is the only party that has a structure with a national outlook; forget that APC is occupying the presidency today. If you do not want to bury that national outlook, perception, or narrative and change the paradigm that the PDP is always making, I think it is a sacrifice worth making that somebody should step down.’’