Richard Anyebe
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has rejected the reacted to the latest developments in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
On Thursday, the PDP BoT Chairman, Walid Jibrin resigned his position and was replaced by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara.
Also, the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal stepped down as the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and was succeeded by the Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde.
All the resignations came as a result of agitation by the southern caucus of the PDP for the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, to step down for a southerner.
Wike and a former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Bode George, amongst other southern members of the main opposition party had consistently demanded Ayu’s resignation but the former senator maintained that he won’t resign.
The latest developments are moves aimed at pacifying the south, especially Wike to throw their weight behind the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2023 general election.
Wike Insists Ayu Must Resign
In his reaction to these developments, Wike insisted that Ayu must resign as the Chairman of the PDP.
According to him, Atiku told him in person when he won the May primary that Ayu must vacate his position as party chairman.
“When we finished our convention on a Saturday to Sunday, the candidate of the party (Atiku) came to see me in my house in Abuja on Monday around 10:30am…The candidate told me: ‘I want us to work together’ and then he said, ‘Look, Ayu must go’.
“I said why? He said because when a candidate comes from the north, the chairman will come from the south. And I am saying, implement what you told me. What offence have I committed? It has nothing to do with Wike; it has to do with integrity.
“I challenge the presidential candidate to deny this. If he denies this, I will go further to say so many things to Nigerians because enough is enough,” the governor said on Thursday during the commissioning of the Ahoada Campus of the Rivers State University in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.
The occasion had in attendance, Wike’s ally and Oyo State Governor, Makinde.
Wike said despite Walid Jibrin’s resignation as PDP BoT chairman, Ayu must resign, adding that, “This fight we will fight it to the end.”
The rivers governor said the issue at hand is that of justice and fairness, noting that having produced the presidential candidate of the party, the north should not also hold on to the chairmanship of the party.
The governor said, “Some of you don’t know what is happening. You are being deceived; they are telling you Wike is causing problem. Wike is not causing problem; Wike is bringing peace to the country. Wike is advocating for justice, Wike is advocating for equity, and Wike is advocating for fairness.
“We have finished with presidential primary. It is over and it is over. So, when people say, ‘You want to destroy the party because you didn’t win the primary’, I think they are sick, they have some mental problem.”
‘Demand Not Due To Presidential Ticket Loss’
On losing the presidential ticket of the party, the governor described as untrue and an insult, statement credited to former governor of Niger State, Babangide Aliyu, that he (Wike) is destroying the party because he lost the primary to Atiku.
“In a contest, there must be a winner, there must be a loser. I have no regrets. We contested election very well and we are not ashamed,” Wike said.
Wike recalled that Ayu, before the national convention of the party in May, made a promise to resign should a northern presidential candidate emerge at the primary.
The governor explained, “When the North-Central met in the house of Governor Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State, he (Ayu) said so there. When the he met the caucus of the Senate, he told them that.”
“They have today told the BoT chairman to resign. Who is talking about the chairman of BoT? What is the role of the BoT? BoT is an advisory body. We have never zoned BoT. BoT is an advisory body; BoT is not a decision-making body.
“Those who run (the party) as it is today is the presidential candidate and the chairman of the party. The chairman of the party and the candidate or the President as the case may be are the ones that take decisions.
“The candidate is from the north, the chairman is from the north. Who will represent the south in the decision-making of the party? You have taken the candidate of the party. Yes, we have agreed. You can’t take the two major positions of a party. You cannot,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kanyi Daily had reported that the PDP National Executive Council (NEC) on Thursday, passed a vote of confidence in Ayu despite WIke’s complaints.
