Wike to Ayu: You can’t preside over Rivers as PDP chairman — the fight just started

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, has vowed to ensure Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is removed from his position. 

Speaking on Monday at the inauguration of a secondary school in Okoro-nu-Odo, Obio-Akpor LGA of Rivers, Wike claimed that Ayu’s leadership style caused the party’s defeat in the presidential election.

Wike said Ayu could not win his LGA for the PDP and that the party won’t accept him to continue to preside over its affairs.

“(You) 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? Those of you who are fighting that they have suspended him (Ayu) — you have not seen anything yet,” the governor said.

“Ayu, the fight has just started. If you know him — those of you who are close to him — tell Iyorchia Ayu (that) the fight has just started.”

Wike said states where PDP won the governorship election cannot fund the party, while Ayu who lost Benue to the All Progressives Congress (APC) will continue to act as chairman.

“You want to preside over this state (Rivers) so that we will donate money to the party? Bring your own state (Benue) to the party too so that your state can contribute money to the party. If you don’t deliver your state, you can’t preside over us. You cannot,” he said.

Wike also cautioned party members against protesting Ayu’s suspension by his ward executives.

On Sunday, the executive members of Igyorov ward, Gboko LGA of Benue state, passed a vote of no confidence on Ayu over alleged anti-party activities.

The party executives claimed that Ayu worked against the success of the PDP in his ward and did not vote in the March 18 governorship and the house of assembly election.

But reacting to the suspension, in a statement issued on Monday, Imobo-Tswam, Ayu’s media aide, said only the national executive committee (NEC), which is the highest decision-making organ of the party, can suspend a national chairman.

Meanwhile, a high court in Benue state has granted an interim order restraining Ayu from acting as the national chairman of the PDP.