PORT HARCOURT —Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the fight against the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who was suspended by his political unit in Benue State, has just started.
The governor stated that it has now become unthinkable to allow any person who was unable to deliver his political unit, ward, local government or state to the PDP during the last general elections to preside over the party.
Wike spoke yesterday during the inauguration of the remodelled Community Secondary School, Okoro-nu-Odo, in Obio-Akpor local government area of the state.
He accused Ayu of collecting bribe and the PDP experienced colossal failure in the 2023 presidential and governorship elections in Benue State and across the country.
The governor said: “Ask them, those who want to be chairman of this party (PDP), what do you have to give to the party now? Presidential election; you took bribe, and lost in your unit, lost in your ward, lost in your local government and lost in your State. Which party will you preside over now?”
Wike stated that it was God who hardened Ayu’s heart not resign when the G-5 governors and members of Integrity Group demanded for his resignation after the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate.
He noted if the PDP National Chairman had resigned then, his cohorts who were vehemently opposed to the zoning of elective and appointive offices would have used that as an excuse for the party’s abysmal performance in the just concluded general elections.
The governor said it will be morally offensive for Ayu to remain as the national chairman of the PDP after the catastrophic defeat of the party under his watch in his unit, ward, local government, State and national.
Wike said: “The suspension of Ayu is the beginning of the fight to save the party. Those of you who are fighting that they have suspended him, you have not seen anything yet.
“The fight has started. Ayu, the fight has just started. If you know him, those of you who are close to him, tell him, Iyorchia Ayu, the fight has just started.”
The governor insisted that instead of Ayu using his position to strengthen the grip of PDP of Benue State, he allowed it slip off him, saying that other PDP controlled states cannot sustain the party financially and tolerate him as their chairman.
He said: “Will you preside over the one (Rivers PDP) I have secured victory for? You want to come and preside over this state (Rivers) so that we will begin to donate money to the party? You, bring your own state to the party too, so that your State can contribute money to the national. If you don’t deliver your State, you can’t preside over us. You cannot.”
Wike, who noted that already, some persons within the party are thinking and acting to side with the PDP National Chairman to fight back the suspension slammed on him, warned such persons that they will be doing so to their detriment because they would have consequences to face.
The governor said: “Look at somebody who did anti-party, he is suspending people. The chief priest of anti-party, native doctor of anti-party suspending those who have worked hard for this party.
“All of you who are joining Ayu, be prepared. Now, I have no other job, the job I have now is to put more heat on them and I will continue to do that.”
He stated that the nullity of the purported summoning of members of the that National Working Committee (NWC) of PDP to Abuja to meet and pronounce the suspension as illegal.
Wike said: “If you like, let the National Secretary rush to Abuja. Let them meet this afternoon and say the suspension is illegal, you will see what you will face. You are calling us small boys, you will see what small boys can do to you.”
The governor stated that those who thought they could toil with Rivers State and not be dealt with squarely can begin to lick their wounds because they have been “peppered”.
He dismissed the claim by the former governor of the state, Chibuike Amaechi that he constructed five flyovers during his tenure and yet cannot list them for identification.
Wike restated that his administration, within four years, constructed 12 flyovers, handled by reputable construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, and went ahead to list the flyovers to clear any public doubt.
He bemoaned the N50B squandered by the Amaechi administration on less than 2 kilometre monorail project that was never realised.
The governor wondered why Rivers residents still listen to such politicians when they come around to make woe them to allow them fill spaces of political leadership when they failed on previous promises of providing democratic dividend.
He thanked the people for voting no massively to elect Sir Siminalayi Fubara, who is now Rivers governor-elect.
Commenting on the project, Wike recalled the deplorable state of the school and said Rivers school children who school there will now have a conducive learning place to advance their education.
Inaugurating the project, Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi described governor Wike as a man who loves his people, which has informed the sustained delivery of projects across sectors to better their life.
Umahi insisted that given such massive infrastructural revolution so delivered, it will be joke taken too far for any opposing political party to think and dare challenge to win PDP in Rivers State .
He corrected the impression in some quarters that Wike worked against the victory of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi in Rivers State.
The Ebonyi State Governor explained that in 2019, it was his Rivers State counterpart, who tirelessly mobilised political leaders in South East to support the vice presidential ambition of Peter Obi after supporting him to win that slot.
Umahi commended Ayu for not resigning when the G-5 governors and the members of the Integrity Group mounted pressure on him do so.
