PDP Crisis: BOT Chairman Jibril resigns, Wabara takes over

The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Walid Jibril, has resigned.

In his place, former President of the Senate of Nigeria, Adolphus Wabara, has been appointed the new BOT Chairman.

“I am stepping down as the chairman of BOT. I am stepping down to make it easier for all of us,” Jibril said at a BOT and National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of PDP on Thursday, in Abuja.

Jibril’s resignation came amid raging intra-party crisis, a fallout of the post presidential convention and vice-presidential nomination towards the 2023 election, threatening to tear the party apart.

Following the election of the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, which truncated the original zoning arrangement by the party, there has been agitation, especially by the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who was by-passed by Atiku in the choice of the vice-presidential candidate.

READ: PDP Board of Trustees, NWC meet over Wike’s agenda for peace

Wike came second in PDP’s presidential election convention and became the party’s preferred running mate but was side-tracked by Atiku, who chose his Delta State counterpart, Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

This further fuelled the agitation by the southern caucus of the PDP, led by Wike, who intensified pressure for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, for a southerner, in line with the PDP constitution that zoned the sharing of offices between the north and south.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and a former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Bode George, amongst other southern members of the main opposition party had consistently demanded Ayu’s resignation but the former senator maintained that he would not resign.

Ayu, from the northern part of the country, prior to his election, had reportedly pledged to resign as Chairman if the PDP produced a northern presidential standard bearer.

Earlier, Jibril had said it was unfair that PDP produced presidential candidate in the person of Atiku Abubakar (Adamawa State), and Ayu (Benue State) both from the north.

The Nasarawa-born party chieftain had said he was willing to sacrifice his office for peace to reign in the party.