Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is insisting that the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu, must step down.
Wike said the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, told him that Ayu must vacate his position as party chairman, asking the former vice president to fulfill his promise.
Wike said, “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.”
Wike disclosed this on Thursday while commissioning the Ahoada Campus of the Rivers State University in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.
At the event with Wike was his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde.
The Rivers State governor was reacting to the resignation of Walid Jibril as the PDP Board of Trustees chairman.
According to him, Jibrin’s resignation won’t stop his demand for Ayu’s removal.
He said, “This fight we will fight it to the end.
“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.”
Wike described as an insult a statement credited to a former governor of Niger State, Babangide Aliyu, saying that 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 the election very well and we are not ashamed,” Wike said, saying that his demand has nothing to do with his loss of the presidential ticket of the PDP.