Hon. Ladi Adebutu, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor in Ogun state, has urged Governor Nyesom Wike of River state and other disgruntled PDP governors to quit the party and start a new one if they are not willing to accept Iyorchia Ayu as the party’s national chairman.
At a gathering in Abeokuta over the weekend, Adebutu addressed non-indigene people of Ogun and made this claim.
He said that anyone who could not agree with a party’s decision is allowed to leave or start their own party.
Adebutu said, “Unlike those who don’t understand that the party is supreme, that Iyorchia Ayu is our ‘oga,’ they don’t recognize that he has the power to hire and fire, we accept his leadership. He was making a subtle reference to the governors Wike of Rivers, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, and Sam Ortom of Benue.
“Those who don’t like your party have a few options, according to several Supreme Court rulings: they can either abide, go and start their own party, or leave! We have decided to follow and obey Ayu’s orders.
He is our chairman, we all agree. We all concur that Hon. Sikirulahi Ogundele, who represents Iyorchia Ayu in Ogun, is our leader there. We consent to present ourselves to the party’s National Working Committee. Those who refuse to comply should start their own party, he advised.
Adebutu asserted that Nigerians are still one large family, irrespective of tribe or religion, when speaking to Igbo, Hausa, Igede, Ijaw, and Idoma supporters of Atiku in the state.
We are one Nigeria because we are one family that speaks many languages while being content as a unit. May we always be a happy family and live together.
“We are pleased that His Excellency Waziri Atiku Abubakar is working with us. He is without a doubt our leader, and we will all work hard to see that he becomes president of Nigeria. The unifier, he is. We owe it to him and to ourselves to make him proud. His views must be propagated moving forward,” Adebutu stated.
Recalls that Wike and four other PDP governors requested that Ayu resign as party chairman or they would not back Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign.
They stated that Ayu had pledged to step down from his post if the PDP chose a northerner as its presidential nominee.
Ayu has been forced to quit by Wike and his backers after Atiku won the PDP primaries in May. The attempts to make amends with them were unsuccessful.
