Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has said that the sins of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are so grievous that if they are disclosed his children would disown him.
“If people know what we know, if we release what we have, Ayu’s children will go to him and say we are no longer your children”, Wike said.
During a live media chat in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Friday, Wike said Ayu has no locus to stand before Nigerians and campaign for PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The Governor maintained the PDP chairman has no integrity, alleging that he also received double pay for a single project.
On the N1 billion he accused Ayu of collecting, Wike said: “There cannot be any comment. He (Ayu) cannot say anything. Look, I am the Governor of Rivers state and I don’t just come out to speak.
“Let Ayu say he did not collect N1 billion. In fact, let me also tell you, Ayu collected N100 million from a Governor that he was going to renovate our democratic institution and then he (Ayu) went back to the PDP NWC (National Working Committee) and took the same N100 million for doing the same work.
“What kind of system is that? I am telling you all these are facts. Let him (Ayu) say no first and I will tell you (those he collected money from).
“A leader must be a man of integrity. And I have realised that people find it hard to have that (integrity) lately. You a presenting a man (Ayu) who lacked integrity as chairman of the party. Somebody that wants to lead a campaign to take the reigns of government?
“What is the problem with what we are asking of Ayu? We are saying let there be equity, let there be fairness and justice. But if you don’t want it that way then you are the one causing the crisis (in the party) and that shows you (Ayu) don’t have leadership skills because this is the time to show it. This is the time to show leadership skills on the part of those who are leaders of the party”.
But Ayu vehemently denied collecting N1 billion gratification from an unnamed PDP presidential aspirant.
At the national secretariat of the PDP in Abuja shortly after he attended a meeting of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Ayu said that the N1 billion was a proposed bank loan proposal that the party wanted to take from a friendly commercial bank. He said the party dropped the idea after due consultations.
On the N100 million, Ayu admitted that a PDP Governor (who he did not mention) made the donation to the party for the purpose of renovating the National Democratic Institute accommodation.
According to him, the donation was used for the purpose for which it was given and the party did not even exhaust the entire fund on the renovation exercise.
He however denied collecting another N100 million from the NWC for the same purpose, saying that Wike’s claim was not true.
Wike said that the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar must do the right thing for the party to stand a chance of winning the presidential election in 2023.
He described the right thing as Ayu’s resignation as PDP national chairman for a southerner to occupy the seat within the principle of equity, fairness and justice.
He said: “Any leader of a group, who causes crisis within the group that he leads truly lacks the requisite skills to navigate affairs of such group.
“This is the time to show leadership skill on the part of those who are leaders of the party. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate. He is the one who feels the pain”.
Wike made reference to the party’s Constitution that spells it out in Section 7 (3) (c) that all political and elective positions must be zoned.
He wondered why it had become difficult for Ayu to respect the constitution or even keep to his promise and quit the office.
“We have not held the presidential primary before the national chairman of the party said if the presidential candidate emerges from his area, he will quit”, he said.
He said the mission to rescue Nigeria required a leader with proven integrity to lead the party.
He said: “For God’s sake, knowing that you are in a party that wants to take over the reign of governance in the country, we know Nigerians know the problems confronting the country.
“If a leader does not have integrity, forget it. We need a man who will tell his people this; a man who will be firm, a man who will be courageous to do those things that even people find it difficult to do.
“You are presenting a man who is the head of the party, the chairman of the party, who has no integrity to lead the campaign to take over the reigns of governance.”
Wike described as untrue media reports that some former PDP Governors, including Dr Peter Odili, were sent to him to resolve the crisis in the party.
