The meeting between the presidential can­didate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike in London on Thursday, has rattled the Na­tional Chairman of the party, Senator Iyorcha Ayu. It was learnt on Friday.

Since the meeting, it was gath­ered that Ayu has been meeting with leaders and stakeholders of the party to save his job.

Recall that Ayu had through his Special Adviser (Media & Communication), Simon Imo­bo-Tswam, said that he cannot resign because he was elected for a four-year tenure.

According to the statement, “we restate, therefore, that the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iy­orchia Ayu, has not resigned and has no plan of resigning. For clar­ity and emphasis, he was elected for a tenure of four years,” Ayu stated.

He had appealed to PDP mem­bers and the general public to ig­nore any stories of such, adding that Sections 45 and 47 of the PDP constitution are clear on the re­moval and/or resignation of the national chairman.

The National Publicity Sec­retary of the party, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, while interacting with newsmen recently had also explained why it will be difficult to sack Ayu.

He had said: “We don’t want to go into constitutional crisis. We recognise this as a party. But, as a party that is conscious of its constitution, we must equally be conscious of the exigencies of the time.”

Ologunagba, who asked whether the party can go through the rigour to mobilise resources and members to organise an­other elective convention, said if Ayu resigns, the man who is qualified to succeed him in line with the PDP Constitution is the party Deputy National Chairman North, Amb. Iliya Damagum, add­ing that Damagin hails from Yobe, the same zone as the presidential candidate.

Ayu, who held a meeting on Thursday night with PDP stake­holders, it was gathered, is afraid that the table may turns against him if Atiku eventually yielded to the demand of Wike’s camp.

Recall that Wike’s camp have been demanding, among other things for the sack of Ayu as a condition for reconciliation.

Because of this demand, some stakeholders in Atiku’s camp have berated Wike and said that his camp should be ignored.

To put an end to the escalation of the crisis in PDP, Atiku had on Thursday through his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, ordered his loy­alists to desist from comments ca­pable of tearing the party apart.

Atiku told his supporters to “desist forthwith from making statements that are capable of compromising the ongoing work towards further strengthening the party and bringing all its leaders together.

“It has become imperative to appeal to all party members, leaders and everyone related to, connected with or associated with the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar to desist from making comments that potentially reduce the optics of PDP’s image as a united polit­ical party.

“This appeal becomes neces­sary in order to call the attention of party leaders and members to the diversionary antics of the ruling All Progressives Congress which, in manufacturing a false impression of division within the PDP, aims to hoodwink the Nigerian public to overlook the monumental failures of the rul­ing party.”

Addressing newsmen shortly after coming back from London where they met with Atiku, Wike’s camp said that consulta­tion is ongoing, adding that their meeting is about Nigeria.