Dr Iyorchia Ayu has emerged as the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party as the opposition party concluded its elective national convention Sunday morning.
Ayu declared that PDP had bounced back to take back power from the ruling All Progressives Congress. He said the party was back to rescue Nigeria from what he described as a “terrible mess” in which the country has been in the past six years.
The coast to the convention was cleared on Friday when an Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt threw away an appeal by the suspended chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, who had sought to stop the convention in order to enable him to control the process.
At the convention, the party announced members of its National Working Committee, whose identities were revealed by the governor of Adamawa State and Chairman of the Convention Organising Committee, Ahmadu Fintiri.
At least 3,600 delegates voted for new members of the NWC of the party at the convention, with only two out of the 21 positions of the NWC – Deputy National Chairman (North) and the Deputy National Chairman (South) being contested. The other officers were elected unopposed.
“I want to sincerely appreciate the PDP family. Today is simply a thank you address. When we started this party 23 – 24 years ago, we never in any way imagined that the journey will get us to this stage – a stage where we ruled for 16 years, we went into rough times but for anybody who will bother to see, PDP is back,” he said.
“And it is back to rescue Nigeria from the terrible mess we have been in the last six years. I want to appreciate all of you who have taken time as delegates, as observers, as supporters, as members of the media, as members of the security services, who have made this event such a wonderful event,” Ayu said.
The following are the members of the NWC elected at the convention:
Of the 21 vacant positions, 17 members contested unopposed.
The 21 newly elected members are drawn from different parts of the country at the party’s national convention, which began on Saturday and lasted till Sunday at Eagle Square in Abuja.
See the full list of the PDP’s newly-elected NWC members:
National Chairman – Iyorchia Ayu
Deputy National Chairman (North) – Umar Damagum (Contested)
Deputy National Chairman (South) – Taofeek Arapaja (Contested)
National Secretary – Samuel Anyanwu (Unopposed)
National Treasurer – Ahmed Mohammed (Unopposed)
National Organising Secretary – Umar Bature (Unopposed)
National Financial Secretary – Daniel Woyegikuro (Unopposed)
National Women’s Leader – Professor Stella Effah-Attoe (Unopposed)
National Youth Leader – Muhammed Suleiman (Contested)
National Legal Adviser – Kamaldeen Ajibade (Unopposed)
National Publicity Secretary – Debo Ologunagba (Unopposed)
National Auditor – Okechuckwu Daniel (Unopposed)
Deputy National Secretary – Setoji Kosheodo (Unopposed)
Deputy National Treasurer – Ndubisi David (Unopposed)
Deputy National Publicity Secretary – Ibrahim Abdullahi (Unopposed)
Deputy National Organising Secretary – Ighoyota Amori (Unopposed)
Deputy National Financial Secretary – Adamu Kamale (Unopposed)
Deputy National Women’s Leader – Hajara Wanka (Unopposed)
Deputy National Youth Leader – Timothy Osadolor (Unopposed)
Deputy National Legal Adviser – Okechukwu Osuoha (Unopposed)
Deputy National Auditor – Abdulrahman Mohammed (Unopposed)
