>
Former Senate President, Dr.Iyorchia Ayu, has emerged as the northern consensus candidate for the position of national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The post has already been zoned to the North by the party.
Ayu, a Benue State indigene, had earlier been endorsed by the party’s stakeholders from the North Central zone.
He emerged as the consensus candidate after a series of meetings by stakeholders over a 72-hour period.
Before his choice was announced, the North West was lining up behind former Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, while the North East was pushing for former Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi.
The other aspirants however stepped down for Ayu, following talks with the party stakeholders at a meeting held at the Bauchi State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.
Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, announced the decision of stakeholders from the zone to present Ayu as the candidate of the North.
He appealed to the rest of the country to support him during the national convention scheduled for for October 30 and 31, in Abuja.
In his acceptance speech, Ayu vowed to lead the efforts to recapture power for the party in 2023 and rebuild Nigeria.