Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders in North Central declared yesterday that they are ready to produce the party’s substantive national chairman to fill the vaccum created by Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s exit.

The meeting was held to review the party’s state, with particular reference to the vacant position of national chairman following the exit of Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who hails from the zone.

Some stakeholders at the meeting yesterday were Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang, Senator David A.B. Mark, Senator Bukola Saraki, Senator Abba Moro, Senator Gabriel Suswam, Jonah Jang, Abdulfatai Ahmed, Babangida Aliyu, Idris Wada.

The meeting was convened barely two weeks after the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) told North Central leaders to produce Ayu’s replacement ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for February 2025.

It will be recalled that there have been agitations for the acting national chairman of PDP, Amb Illiya Damagum, to vacate office and revert to his deputy national chairman position for a party member from the North Central to serve as substantive national chairman as designed by the party.

However, a communique obtained by LEADERSHIP after the meeting read, “The PDP constitution clearly stated that for succession of offices in the party at all levels which is mainly to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone as per section 47 (6) of the party.

“The party is always guided by its constitution; therefore, its leadership needs to rise to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to regain confidence and cohesion in the party.

“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the North Central Zone appealed to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the Chairmanship of the party to the North Central Zone to serve out its tenure.

“The stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of the north-central zone.

“North Central is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria,” the communique said.

Others at the meeting were Senator Tunde Ogbeha, Senator Simon Mwadkwon, Mrs Margaret Ichen, Raymond Dabo, Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, Senator Suleiman Adokwe, and Rt. Hon. Dave Ombugadu; Labaran Maku.

Also at the meeting were Senator Zainab Kure, Prof Jerry Gana, Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Philip Aduda, Maika Jiba, Isa Dobi, Senator Mohammed Onao, Senator Peter Jiya, Daka Shan, Maurice Tsav, and Kamaldeen Ajibade SAN.