By Emmanuel Nduka and Enyichukwu Enemanna
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Friday told newsmen that if he is pushed to reveal the secrets of Iyorchia Ayu, his “children will go to him and tell him that they no longer want to be his children again.”
Wike accused Ayu, the National Chairman of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of taking N100m twice- first from a sitting Governor, which he declined to name, and then from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) for one project.
Wike who spoke on Friday inside the Rivers State Government House during a media chat with selected journalists, insisted that Ayu must quit office in adherence to the party’s constitution. He also said Ayu lacks integrity.
“Ayu collected N100m from one of our governors that he was going to renovate our Democratic Institute, and then he went back to our NWC and collected the same N100m for the same job,” Wike lamented.
Wike further challenged the party’s chair to deny that he received another N1bn from the party hierarchy in Lagos recently.
Speaking on integrity, the Rivers Governor recalled that prior to the party’s presidential primary, Ayu “promised to step down his position as National Chairman if the presidential ticket goes to the north.”
On the recent 14,000 political aides/advisers he appointed, he said he would soon jerk the number up to “100,000”.
Governor Wike also denied that former Rivers Governor, Peter Odili alongside former Senate President David Mark and former Delta Governor James Ibori were sent by the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar to prevail on him.
Responding to questions on monies recently returned by some NWC members, he affirmed that the funds were initially paid as bribes, an allegation the party had refuted.
Ayu hails from Benue State, North Central region of the country while the PDP presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 general elections, who is a former Vice President of Nigeria, hails from Adamawa, North East region.
This according to Wike, who is a strong voice in the PDP, is in contravention of the party’s constitution.
Wike who has been in a running battle with Atiku since his emergence as the party’s presidential flagbearer, however denied any division in the party, but was quick to add, “just that people don’t want to do the right thing.”
He accused the leadership of his party of playing “games” even though they understand the constitution. “And they are not the only ones who can play games. If you play games with me, I play games with you, if you are serious, I am serious with you,” he said.
The governor said he remains a member of the PDP and will continue to demand for the right things to be done, to ensure that no region within the ranks of the party, especially the South, is marginalized.
When asked why he was absent during the inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council, he asked, “does the vote come from the presidential campaign council?”
On if he is campaigning for the party’s presidential candidate, he said, “I am campaigning for PDP in Rivers State.”
Asked about Atiku, he said “is he the only person. Are there no other candidates? I say we are campaigning for PDP. And that includes your presidential candidate. Is he not in PDP, why will you single him out, don’t we have gubernatorial candidates, should they not win election, if he wins and others don’t, is it good, just know that we are campaigning for PDP.”
Wike had come second in the presidential primary election that produced Atiku as the candidate.
Ever since his loss in the primary election, he had insisted on the resignation of Ayu, accusing him of masterminding his loss as the primary election.
