PDP chairman Iyorchia Ayu expected to arrive in London today for medical treatment

EMBATTLED Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Senator Iyorchia Ayu is expected to arrive in the UK today after it was announced yesterday that he will be leaving Nigeria for medical attention in Europe.

Over recent weeks, Senator Ayu has been at the centre of a political sort in Nigeria as a faction of his party is demanding that he resign his position. In late June at its annual convention in Abuja, the PDP, elected Alhaji Abubakar as its flagbearer for next year's presidential election.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was a candidate in that election but he was beaten into second place and to make matters worse for him, he was not then picked as the party's running mate. With Alhaji Abubakar opting to pick Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as his running mate, Governor Wike has been on the war path and there are now fears that he will dump the PDP.

One of the main demands of the Wike camp is that Senator Ayu should resign, given that like Alhaji Abubakar, he is from northern Nigeria. With such calls becoming deafening of late, Senator Ayu chose to embark on a medical trip to Europe, handing over the running of the party to Ambassador Iliya Damagun, the PDP deputy chairman, north.

Simon Imobo-Tswam, Senator Ayu's spokesman, said: “The PDP national chairman Dr Iyorchia Ayu, will leave Nigeria for Europe on Wednesday. Ayu will be out of the country for about two weeks and while away, the deputy chairman (north), Ambassador Iliya Damagun, will act in his place.

“Already, the national chairman has communicated the handover to the Independent National Electoral Commission. He is expected back at month-end.”

One party source close to Senator Ayu disclosed that the trip to Europe is for medical treatment. According to the source, it is not vacation and not official but a medical trip, that the chairman is undertaking.