“Only PDP NEC can suspend me,” Ayu warns public to ignore rumors

Iyorchia Ayu, the People’s Democratic Party’s national chairman, has stated that only the NEC has the authority to suspend a member of the National Executive Committee because the PDP constitution expressly forbids any organ of the party or executive committee at the ward, state, or national levels from taking any disciplinary action against them.

The alleged suspension announcement, according to Ayu, is nothing more than drama, propaganda, and mischief. He continued by calling it a pointless exercise born of blatant “ignorance and desperation.”

A day after the party in Benue State informed him of his suspension, Ayu revealed this on Monday through a statement from his special adviser on media and communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam.

The statement read, “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 levels from taking any disciplinary measure against any member of the party’s National Executive Committee.

“The purported suspension is, therefore, an exercise in futility as it derives its strength majorly from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and desperation. It has only mischief, drama and propaganda value.”

He further pointed out that some members of the excos were only being “teleguided by political gamblers to cause mischief and nothing more,” adding that he had not been suspended by his ward.

He urged the general populace to disregard rumors, claiming that those behind the plot were merely making costly illusions.

His statement further read, “But more than this, the so-called suspension letter was written by an illiterate before hand, and only given to the coerced members to sign somewhere in Makurdi.

“This is why the original date is typexed and 24 March imposed on it. And this is also why it states that the presidential/NASS and governorship/state assembly elections held on 25th and 18th March, 2023 respectively.

“From what we know, the document itself is fraudulent as the signatures of the ward executives were forged or obtained under duress.”

Following the 2023 general elections, some PDP leaders, including former governors of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, Katsina State, Shehu Shema, Enugu State, Chimaroki Nnamani, and the former Senate President, Anyim Pius, were hit with suspensions and expulsions over alleged anti-party activities by the party.

The statement also claimed that the Benue chapter’s chairman, his deputy, and legal counsel did not sign.