Ayu visits court as the PDP names an acting chairman.

Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the former national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party who was suspended from that office on Tuesday, will challenge his suspension in front of the Benue State High Court in Makurdi on Monday.

Simon Imobo-tswam, Ayu’s Special Assistant on Communication, told our correspondent about this not long after the party declared that Umar Damagum Ayu, the Deputy National Chairman (North), had been named the acting national chairman.

He declared that Ayu would take the suspension decision to court.

Ayu was suspended on Sunday by the Igorov ward executive committee in the Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State for allegedly engaging in anti-party activities and failing to pay his dues.

In response to a lawsuit brought by a former adviser to the state governor, Conrad Utaan, the Benue State court prohibited Ayu from posing as the party chairman after the suspension.

The first and second respondents were identified as Ayu and the PDP, respectively.

A hearing in the matter has been scheduled for April 17.

However, in response to a query from his Special Assistant on Communication confirmed his principal’s intention to legally challenge the court order.

Imobo-tswam answered “yes” to the question of whether his troubled principal will contest the court ruling prohibiting him from posing as the PDP national chairman without considering further inquiries.

Nonetheless, he went on to say that the PDP “had said everything regarding the subject. There is no need to elaborate further.

In a brief chat with journalists in Abuja, Damagum stated that he was acting as the party’s leader in order to “fulfill all righteousness.”

He said, “We are here to fulfil all righteousness.  We have a court order restraining our national chairman and we are law-abiding. I will be here with you in an acting capacity pending the determination of the court.

‘’I want to use this opportunity to enjoin you to give me the cooperation we all used to have with you. I will have a meeting immediately after this session with the NWC (National Working Committee) to review what is happening in the party.”