Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has joined calls for the removal of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, urging the former senator to resign or plead for understanding and pardon.

Ortom said this during the Executive Council meeting in Government House, Makurdi, the Benue State capital on Saturday.

The governor, who is an ally of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, had last month said he was not in support of Ayu, noting that it was impossible for him to advocate the removal of someone he worked tirelessly, alongside other prominent citizens of Benue State to be elected.

The Star recalls that Wike, who lost the party’s presidential primaries to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in May, and a few other governors, have since been calling for the removal of Ayu as a concession for the South.

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Wike maintained that it is injustice for northerners to hold the two major positions of the party.

The governor and his allies had demanded the resignation of Ayu as a condition for them to campaign for Atiku ahead of the 2023 general election.

Speaking on Saturday, Ortom said Ayu promised to resign if a northern candidate emerged as the PDP presidential standard-bearer, saying the party’s chairman should honour his words now that the party has a northern presidential candidate.

“Ayu told the whole world that if a northern candidate emerges he will resign. So where is the honour now to continue in office?

“If you don’t want to resign beg for pardon. But it is not enough to say your tenure is four years and you won’t resign as you said it yourself,” the governor said.

The Star