By Bisi Ezekiel
The emergence of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu on Sunday, October 31st 2021, as the National Chairman of the largest political party in Africa and Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) did not come as a surprise to political pundits.
The quiet but great political achiever was thoroughly sorted out for the job of rescuing the PDP from collapse following the crisis that resulted in the suspension of his predecessor in office, Prince Uche Secondus as national chairman.
No wonder his acceptability as a consensus candidate for the party’s position.
He made it clear from the onset that his mission was to reform PDP and set the party currently in opposition on the path of rescuing the country from maladministration of the APC and rebuilding the nation back to her past glory.
Ayu, a former Senate President and 20 others, elected members of the National Working Committee (NWC) hit the ground running by promising to allow every organ of the party to function effectively without usurpation of functions by the other.
To further strengthen membership drive across the nation, the NWC said it will back the Governor Godwin Obaseki led Membership E- Registration Committee in generating a comprehensive party register of all PDP members in Nigeria.
The Ayu led NWC desirous if accountability inaugurated a committee to do staff auditing to enable it know number of actual staff of the party, their designation and remuneration.
A Tender Board was inaugurated to track every contract involving the party to block financial leakages.
In a very rare bold step, Dr. Ayu led other members of the NWC on an assessment visit to the uncompleted PDP national secretariat at the Central Business District of Abuja.
He promised completion of the project, to generate funds for the party in terms of rents and to provide enough office space for staff.
To achieve this, Ayu said many options would be explored which may include but not restricted to collaborating with private estate developers.
He said the party will give its all to the Bukola Saraki led National Reconciliation Committee saddled with the responsibility of fixing crisis in state chapters and bringing old members back to PDP family.
Ayu displayed his dispute management ability in the just concluded Ekiti governorship primary election by cancelling previously conducted ward election by some aspirants, thereby leaving contestants to rely on statutory and automatic list of delegates for the primary.
This goes a long way to avoid further crisis a d made the outcome of the primary election largely acceptable.
With his mission of Rebuild and Rescue Nigeria, there is a renewed hope that come 2023, the Peoples Democratic Party will rescue power at the centre from the ruling APC.
The convention which took place at the Eagle Square, Abuja, began on Saturday and lasted till the early morning of Sunday.
But you need to know the man, Iyorchia Ayu, the new national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Dr. Iyorchia Ayu was born in Gboko in Benue State. He served as sociology lecturer at the University of Jos, including courses on the art and science of Marxism. He was the Chairman of the Jos University chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
As a new entrant into politics, Ayu was influential among the majority Tiv people in his home state of Benue and was elected Senator in the Third Republic on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and was elected President of the upper chamber of the National Assembly (1992–1993).
In November 1993, the senate impeached Ayu, who was a strong opponent of the Interim National Government established after the elected president Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola had been prevented from taking office.
However, he later became the Minister for Education in General Sani Abacha’s military government. In March 1994 he chaired a workshop on Technical Education in Nigeria, seeking ways to learn from Germany, the United States, Britain and Japan.
He is reputed to be the political godfather of George Akume, governor of Benue State from 1999 to 2007 who is now in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Minister for Special Duties.
Ayu assisted in the 1998-1999 campaign to elect President Olusegun Obasanjo on the PDP platform, and Obasanjo in return, appointed him as Minister for Industry from 1999 to 2000.
Ayu was also appointed as Minister of Internal Affairs in July 2003. In September 2003 Ayu announced that Nigeria was negotiating security pacts with its northern neighbours Niger and Chad to clamp down on smuggling, human-trafficking and cross border banditry.
During a cabinet reshuffle in June 2005, Ayu was reassigned to become Minister of Environment. At a meeting in Rotterdam in September 2005, Ayu called for an effective, sufficient and predictable financial mechanism to provide the technical skills and infrastructure needed for African countries to handle chemicals safely.
He later served in various Ministerial positions in the Cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.
By Bisi Ezekiel.
