By Ogochukwu Isioma
An aide to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has debunked claims that Dr Iyorchia Ayu has been suspended from office over alleged financial misappropriation.
Reports had gone viral, Wednesday afternoon, on some online platforms (NOT on metrowatchxtra) to the effect that Ayu had been sacked and replaced by the main opposition party.
The report had equally claimed that Deputy National Chairman (North), Amb. Umar Damagun, was appointed in Ayu’s place in acting capacity, following an ‘emergency meeting’ of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).
However, in a statement on Wednesday by Simon Imobo-Tswam, Special Adviser to the National Chairman on Communication and Strategy, he said Ayu remains the National Chairman of PDP.
“Dr. Ayu took a well-deserved, two-week leave on 21st June, 2022. He will be back next week to resume duties, specifically on July 6, 2022,” Imobo-Tswam said.
He argued that, “a stickler for due process, Dr. Ayu formally handed over to the Deputy National Chairman (North), Amb. Umar Damagun. And the Deputy National Chairman has held forth admirably since that day.
“It was in that acting capacity that he (Damagun) today, presided over the inauguration of the Osun State Gubernatorial Campaign Council, headed by the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, H.E. Douye Diri.
“If not that the authors of the mischievous and baseless Facebook posts were out to serve nefarious interests, they would have heard when the acting national chairman, Amb. Damagun, said during the ceremony today: “On behalf of my able National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, I hereby inaugurate you”,” the statement added.
Imobo-Tswam, therefore, advised the general public to ignore the “mischievous social media publications as they are purely the work of mischief makers and idle minds.”
