Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (L) with Prince Uche Secondus
Senators Bukola Saraki and Anyim Pius Anyim, both former senate presidents, were on Monday appointed into the campaign council of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Saraki and Anyim, who both contested the party’s presidential ticket but lost to Abubakar, were given the roles of “special envoy” and “special adviser”, respectively.
Uche Secondus, a former national chairman of the PDP, also was appointed as technical adviser.
Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Ibrahim Shekarau, former governors of Osun and Kano States respectively, were appointed as special advisers.
Paul Ibe, spokesman to the PDP presidential candidate, in a statement on Monday, said the appointments “take immediate effect”.
Said Ibe: “Atiku Abubakar charged the appointees to use their vast political experiences in ensuring that the PDP presidential campaign records resounding success in the 2023 election”.
The development comes amid crisis in the PDP over calls for the removal of Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the party, who took over after Secondus was removed.
Among those in the forefront of the call for Ayu’s removal is Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State; Wike and his allies are insisting that the party’s chairman and presidential candidate cannot be from the same region.
However, while Ayu has said he will remain in office until his tenure ends, just as Abubakar has said he cannot force the national chairman to step down, adding that Ayu can only be removed if the party’s constitution is amended.
Meanwhile, in August 2022, Wike had boasted about removing Secondus from office as PDP chairman over the latter’s alleged poor performance.
In response, Secondus had said the Rivers governor lacks the power to “crush” anyone.
