The National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, has been suspended on Tuesday amid crisis in the party leadership after the just concluded general elections.
The PDP in Benue State had last week announced the suspension of the embattled National Chairman.
This is as a Benue High Court, has restrained Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.
To this end, the National Working Committee of the Party has appointed Umar Damagum, to oversee the affairs of the party in acting capacity.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, announced this at a press conference on Tuesday, at the party’s secretariat.
In a press statement on Monday, Ayu said his purported suspension by the executive committee of his ward in Igyorovo, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, was of no effect as only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party that has the constitutional right to suspend him.
“For starters, Article 57(7) of the PDP Constitution as Amended in 2017 expressly prohibits any organ of the party or executive committee of the party at the Ward or State Level from taking any disciplinary measure against any member of the party’s National Executive Committee,” he explained.
Accordingly, Ayu said the purported suspension is, “Therefore, an exercise in futility as it derives its strength majority from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and desperation. It has only mischief, drama and propaganda value.