Edwin Clark Slams PDP Chairman For Bias,Incompetence

Elder statesman and leader of the south-south region of Nigeria, Chief Edwin Clark has called for the immediate resignation of Senator Iyorchia Ayu the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Clark’s comment was made on the heels of the just-concluded presidential primaries of the opposition party. According to Clark in a statement issued on Monday, May 30, he said since the outcome of the primary has been determined, Senator Ayu seize to be the leader of the PDP national working committee. The elder statesman criticised the electoral process of the PDP primaries nationwide. He described it as an “outrageous financial inducements of delegates and the cynical dollarization of the electoral process”.

He said: “I decided to issue this press release because of the worrying occurrences in our polity vis-a-vis the PDP party primaries being conducted, across the country; the reported outrageous financial inducements of delegates and the cynical dollarization of the electoral process. These happenings give strong warnings of, more likely, deleterious outcomes of the 2023 General Elections, mainly the Presidential, and their aftermaths. “Most disturbing is what happened at the Special National Convention of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in Abuja, on Saturday, 28th May 2022. I followed the live broadcasts of the proceedings, keenly, until about 12.30 am on Sunday, the 29th.” Chief Clark reserved special praise for the Senator David Mark-led convention committee and particularly, the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri.

However, Chief Clark did not spare the Sokoto state governor, Aminu Tambuwal who was also a presidential aspirant. He accused Tambuwal of conniving to foist another Northerner as the party’s flag bearer. Clark stated that Tambuwal’s actions were dishonorable and also a tragic betrayal of national patriotism for hidebound interests.

Chief Clark said: “I was alarmed by the outrageous and Machiavelli manner in which Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State, was so apparently “arranged” to announce his withdrawal from the contest, at the last minute; his speech changed the mood of the event. That was done in order to foist another Northerner as the Party’s flag bearer; having regard to the fact that Governor Aminu Tambuwal was the only aspirant from the whole of the North West, which had about 192 delegates at the Convention.

“What Tambuwal did was not only dishonourable but also a serious electoral abnormality and a tragic betrayal of national patriotism for hidebound interests.”