The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the decision of some of the chieftains to pull out of the 2023 campaign.
Atiku also addressed their insistence that the National Chairman of PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, steps down from the role.
The former vice-president, in a statement on Wednesday, said he was surprised by their withdrawal because apart from the Rivers chapter, all other states submitted names of people who they wanted in the Presidential Campaign Council.
He noted that the decision of Ayu to resign from office is personal, and neither he nor anyone else can make that decision.
“As a committed democrat and firm believer in the rule of law and democratic tenets, and our party being one set up, organized and regulated by law and our constitution, it is my absolute belief that everything that we do in our party must be done in accordance with, and conformity to, the law and our constitution.
“If Dr. Ayu is to be removed from office, it must be done in accordance with the laws that set out the basis for such removal. In any event, you will all recall that the very body that is empowered by law to initiate this removal from office, has already passed a vote of confidence in him.
“Now, our nation is currently in the throes of a multidimensional crisis encompassing insecurity, economic meltdown, disunity and mutual mistrust and educational dislocations, to mention a few.
“I have a plan to address these issues and I have, graciously, been given the ticket to lead our great party in next year’s presidential elections, with the singular mandate to come and lead the efforts to cure these ills.
“It is in this light that I have reached out to every single member of our great party to join me in the massive undertaking required to reset the ship of state and help rebuild our country.
“And it is my fervent hope and prayer that every man and woman of goodwill will join hands with us to help rebuild and reposition our beloved country.”
Atiku urged PDP members that have stated their resolve to withdraw from the Presidential Campaign Council to rethink and retrace their steps.
“The above notwithstanding and for the sake of our country, our children, and those yet unborn, we must not, for one minute, shirk our responsibilities to rebuild this beloved country of ours.
“Accordingly, we must forge on with the task and the mandate that we have been bestowed with. It is time, therefore, to move on with the formidable tasks of nation building ahead of us”, his statement added.
