Ex-SENATE PRESIDENT, IYORCHIA AYU EMERGES PDP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN

lyorchia Ayu, a former senate president, was early on Sunday elected as the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ayu, who was earlier adopted as the consensus candidate for the position, won the election unchallenged with 3,426 votes.

Taodeek Arapaja, a former depaty governor of Oyo state, has also emerged as national depaty chairman (southl, writh 2,004 voles to defeat Olagunsoye Oyintola, former governor of Osun state, who scored 705 vote.

For the position of the national deputy chairman (North), Umar Damagum, former governorship candidate of Yobe state, polled 2,222 votes to Seat Inna Ciroma, former minister of women affairs from Borno state, who garnered 365 votes.

Muhammed Suleiman from Kaduna scored 3,072 votes to defeat Usman Elkudan, also from Kaduna, who scored 219 for the position of youth leader.

Only three out of the 21 national working committee (NWC) positions were contested, while consensus candidates were adopted for the remaining positions.

The offices include national secretary, depaty national secretary, national treasurer, national financial secretary, deputy national financial secretary, national organising secretary, and deputy national organising secretary.

Others are national publicity secretary, deputy national publicity secretary, national auditor, deputy national auditor, national legal adviser, deputy national legal adviser, national women leader, deputy national women leader, deputy national youth leader, and national vice-chairpersons for north and south.

The candidates were declared duly elected by Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa state and chief returning officer of the election.

In his remarks, Ayu said the opposition party is back to rescue Nigeria from the "terrible mess" the country has been pushed in to.