PDP crisis: Wike ready to meet anyone in court over N1bn allegation against Ayu

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who has been at war with his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since the May 2022 presidential primaries, says he is ready to meet anyone in court over his allegation that the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, collected N1billion from a party member.

Wike played host to the other four state governors of his party (G-5) that are kicking against the party, demanding the exit of the national chairman for coming from same region with the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Governor Wike in his speech at the programme which was held at the Amasiemeka Stadium outside the Garden City said he was ready to challenge anyone in court on his claims that Ayu is very corrupt and lacks the integrity to continue to lead the party.

He said none of the G-5 Governors would lose elections in their various states.

He restated his position that Ayu collected bribes of N1billion in Lagos, saying that he would only expose evil meted to the party faithful.

Wike said Ayu was so corrupt that he was building a university in his home state, Benue, less than one year of being the national party chairman.

Wike has continued to say the only way the G-5 would come to a negotiation table is after Ayu would have exited. Ayu and some governors have refused to do that.

At the event, the five Integrity Governors; Samuel Ortom (Benue), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Ikeazu Okezie (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) insisted that Ayu will not lead the party’s campaign in their various states, saying that Ayu is corrupt.

The G-5 governors who spoke one after the other on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at the Rivers State PDP campaign flag-off expressed hurt. They said the refusal of the party’s leadership to ask Ayu to step down for a Southerner to assume position was unfair, and insisted on equity, fairness, and justice in the party structure.

“Not one of the states of PDP integrity governors will lose their governorship. Not one. No amount of gang-up will make us to lose Abia, Enugu, Benue and Oyo states and who is it that will come and win Rivers State? I do not understand human beings. Some people want to be governor of Rivers State since 2003 till now.

“What you must do to chase away your opponents is operation show your report card. Do we have a report card? Have we done well? Mr President said we have done well and if the President says we have done well, who are these people?

“Nobody will lead me to a campaign by a man who is corrupt. I have challenged Ayu; Ayu you are corrupt and you cannot lead me to any campaign. I will not, Rivers State will not, whether they like it or not, Ayu cannot lead us to campaign. I am sorry to say to the Benue governor, if I have insulted you, forgive me. Rivers people are hurt.

“I went to Benue state. Ayu, you have not stayed one year in office and you are fighting corruption. How do you fight corruption? I ask you, you took N1billion, I told you, you took N100 million, I told you. You took the money that we realised from the primaries.

“Ayu, sue me. You are building a university in Benue State and you have not stayed one year in office. Assuming you enter office what will you do? You cannot fight Rivers State and go free. You cannot fight Nigeria and go free. We will support you when your hands are clean. It does not matter all the media you go to insult me. If you like, insult us as you want, the truth must be told.”

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The Rivers State governor further stated that he and his team would not support any candidate including his PDP member who believes that no other tribe other from the North will rule the country as a President.

“Here in Rivers let the heaven hear me today. Let the earth hear me today, I will not support anybody who says that no other person from any ethnic group can become President, I will not do it.

“Nigeria belongs to all of us. Whether you are from the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Itshekiri, etc, everybody is entitled to be the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They go to National Television and tell everybody do not vote for yoruba, do not vote for the Igbo, he did not mention where I come from, which means I come from nowhere, but I come from somewhere.

“I exist. God has never made a mistake. God is the one who says where we should come from. This has nothing to do with party, but it has to do with identity. By the grace of God I come from somewhere and we must show that we come from somewhere. If somebody says you do not exist, say you exist.”

Earlier in his remarks, Samuel Ortom, Benue State governor, who is the Chairman of the team, commended Wike’s leadership. He said “PDP is not together, they have not been able to deploy mechanism to resolve the conflict in the party.”

Ortom assured that their group will remain firm in rescuing Nigeria through equity, fairness, and Justice.

Others that spoke at the event were Governor Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ayodele Fayose (former Ekiti Governor), Rivers PDP chairman, Desmond Akawor, Felix Obuah (PDP campaign council chairman), Sim Fubara (Rivers PDP gubernatorial candidate), and others.