National Chairman of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu on Tuesday said those calling for his resignation as the party’s helmsman was not mindful of history.

He also ruled out any cold war with Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State as misconstrued in some quarters, saying they are working in harmony to ensure that the party emerges victorious in next year’s general elections to rebuild and rescue Nigerians from the hardship inflicted on the citizenry by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

Dr. Ayu bared his mind during an interaction with some journalists in Makurdi, the state capital.

Ayu, who spoke via his Special Adviser on Mediaand Communication, Mr. Simon Imobo Tswam, said: “The PDP knows that if Ayu resigns now, it will be thrown into crisis. If he resigns now, he will hand over to the Deputy National Chairman who is from the North East of Yobe State and that will be on interim basis and may be the NEC will meet and appoint a chairman who may either come from Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger or Kogi states respectively.

“So saying that Ayu should resign will not change anything at all. We have six months to the elections and we should be talking about how we can win in 2023.

“People who say these things are not mindful of history. In 2006, Yar’Adua became the candidate of the party and the National Chairman was Dr. Ahmadu Ali, he didn’t resign from office even with a candidate from the North West.

“Yar’Adua won his election and Ahmadu Ali remained in office till 2007. It was in 2008 that the party had its convention. There was no argument that Ahmadu Ali and Yar’Adua were from the North; so there is a history that the party has.

“In 2010, Yar’Adua died and Goodluck Jonathan took over as President. The party’s National Chairman then was Vincent Ogbulafor from the South East and no one said he should resign; he was in office until he had issues with the Party when he said the President had no ambition. He was taken to court by the ICPC and he had to resign. He was succeeded by Nwodo from the same South East, so that’s the tradition,” he said. (New Telegraph)