Terhile Utaan, a former chairmanship of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has refuted allegations that he orchestrated the ousting of former National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu.
News About Nigeria reports that Utaan claimed that his decision to take Ayu to court was a selfless act aimed at rescuing the party from turmoil.
Following the 2023 PDP presidential primary, which saw Atiku Abubakar emerge as the party’s candidate, a crisis erupted within the party.
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and the G-5 governors demanded Ayu’s removal, arguing that the North should not produce both the presidential candidate and the National Chairman.
The dispute ultimately led to Ayu’s removal as PDP National Chairman.
Addressing journalists after meeting with Tiv ethnic group leaders, Utaan clarified that the party was in disarray when Ayu’s Ijorov council ward claimed to have suspended him.
He stated, “I did not remove Dr Iyorchia Ayu…
“It was in the light of this confusion that I went to court to seek interpretation of what the constitution of the PDP says. So, what I did was courageous and it was an intervention to save the soul of the party.
“My going to court was a sacrifice to salvage PDP.”
Utaan said his goal is to unite the party to wrest power from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
“I am coming out to provide intervention to the party and if I emerge, my immediate task is to unify the party…
“We must return power to the people and we can only do that if we unify the party and bring our leaders back to the table.”
