Wike Dare Ayu To Stop Any Contestant If He Has What It Takes

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has dared the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, to stop any contestants if he indeed has what it takes.

Naija News reports that Wike, who said this at a press briefing at his private residence in Port Harcourt today, described Ayu as corrupt and lacks integrity.

Wike’s reaction follows Ayu’s statement against the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom.

Ayu is reported to have earlier boasted that he had the power to stop Ortom and others from contesting the 2023 elections.

Wike said “I dare the National Chairman to stop any contestant if he has what it takes. It is in this country where you say a man is very corrupt and he is trying to talk.”

Wike said: “I heard when he said ‘I would have stopped Ortom from running. You see how ungrateful human beings are. This was the same Governor Ortom, who pleaded with us and say listen, I can take this risk and let him become the national chairman.
“Without being greedy, the agreement of the Governors that no national chairman should come from where a governor comes from. We agreed on that. But Ortom came, and he is a man we respect, he said ‘I want to promote my people. Let them be at the national politics’ and we said okay. In your honour, we will agree.

“This is a man, who never campaigned anywhere. This is a man who never bought form or bought a poster. Even with the money, they gave him to print posters he never printed any posters. Now he is threatening to stop the man who brought him, who became his guarantor.

“That is the corruption we are talking about. He has now come into the office. He has seen money, he has seen power, now he can open his mouth to say if he wants to stop Ortom he would have. But we dare him. And he said he can also stop any contestant. He doesn’t know anything. I dare him.

“But I want to dare the national chairman to stop those contestants. He knows he has no power. He knows he can’t do it. He is just playing to the gallery. He does not have what it takes. He doesn’t have it.

“We know that he has shown that the PDP cannot change since he is still presiding over PDP. Has he one day summoned a meeting? Today now he has money he can summon a meeting in Gboko (Benue State).

“When we brought him to be chairman did he ever summon a meeting in Gboko that he wants to run for Chairman? That you can now insult Ortom, simply because the man told you to look, what you are doing is not right.

“And let him defend the issue of N1bn, you said somebody told him to go and borrow. The presidential candidate told you to go and borrow money. When has that become a position that the presidential candidate will advise you to go and borrow money?

“Can’t you tell people the truth, I am sorry. I didn’t know it was wrong. Yes, somebody gave me money in Lagos. I took the money, even though the money you did not tell the national working committee. But you continue to tell lies. It is not good.

“Ayu has no integrity. It is a terrible thing. This is not the Tivs I read about in history. This is one Ayu is not. How they (Tivs ( are men of integrity, men of honour. What they say is what they will do. Not Ayu, with due respect to anybody.

“If the national chairman wants to, I dare him to stop any contestant, if he has what it takes. It is in this country where you say a man is very corrupt and he is still trying to talk. Look at what happened in Britain. It’s not even the issue of corruption. But that look, this is not what we thought you would have done. They say look resign in their honour,” he submitted.

Wike further stated why Ayu can’t resign “Why is he (Ayu) not going to resign? He is hoping that Nigerians will donate money to the party so that he will superintend over that money. He has already finished the N11billion, party primaries money.

“Account for it, he said it is there, it is in the account. Show the public the account. Don’t tell the public, go to the account. How would they go to the account? Print the account of the PDP, and let the world see how the N11 billion was expended.

“So, this is the country and this is the party that all of us have laboured to take over power from the ruling party that we said has done badly. And then the national chairman will open his mouth to talk about stopping contestants.”

The governor also disclosed that Ayu tried to manipulate the Rivers primaries to install his preferred governorship aspirants but that the PDP in the state dealt with him.

He continued saying “Ayu tried it in Rivers State. He came to manipulate and tried to put some guber aspirants. But he saw the results. We dealt with him. Some of us cannot be where he says he is the national party chairman. If he is a national party chairman, let him come to our state.”

The Governor said Ayu’s claims that nobody could sack him were immaterial, adding that they were only compelling him to honour his agreement to step down from his position to the South.

Wike said “Nobody has said Ayu should be sacked. The word sacking, and the one keeping to your promise, are two different things. All we have asked is in line with our party constitution that there must be zoning for elective offices and political offices.

“Knowing full well that there is no way the presidential candidate and the party national chairman should come from one zone, Ayu said ‘if the presidential candidate comes from the North, I will resign to allow the South produce the national chairman.

*And all we are saying as a man of honour if you have anyone, keep to your honour, keep to integrity. So the issue of people sacking him does not arise. All we are saying is to keep to the agreement in order for our party to show inclusivity.

“In order for our party to show that we are not marginalizing a zone, keep to your promise that the Presidential candidate will come from the North and the national chairman will come from the South. So saying that nobody can sack him does not arise, because nobody has said he must be sacked.

“For you to be sacked, there are procedures of sacking people. If at this point in time you are a national chairman of a party, who has told Nigerians that this is what you will do if this happens and now that has happened, and you are running away from doing that, how do you think Nigerians will now believe you?

“But what we are saying is that we want our party to win. But if you think that you can do without keeping to the promises you have made, so be it. So coming to say nobody can sack you, tells you impunity.

“That is the problem we are having now. The country sees us as people who are not serious. Ordinarily, as I have said and will continue to say. Do we really want to win the election with this kind of arrogance and impunity? Do we really want to win the election?

“We have surveyed, Nigerians who want a change if the people that they are expecting really show that they are prepared for it. It is not about hiring media houses to insult governors. No.

“Some of us have thick skin and the truth must be told at all times. And it is the day that the election comes and the results start coming out you will know those who are really on the ground, not those who control media houses.

“For me, the party is in a dilemma now because the issue of credibility, the issue of integrity is still at play now. And we must have to resolve that issue. All I can ever lose is to succumb to anybody to say I am a slave. We must keep to what the constitution of our party says.

Wike chided Dele Momodu following his remarks that he (Wike) and others fighting for justice in the party should not cross the red line.

Naija News understand that he noted that  “These are the things I am talking about. When did he come into the PDP? He came into the PDP two weeks before the presidential race. He is from Edo State. Not one vote. Let’s say from his own state, at least our son.

“When you want them to recognize you, the presidential aspirant will become a spokesperson. Somebody who wants to govern Nigeria has become a spokesperson for a presidential candidate. All of you know how many times Dele Momodu has been in Port Harcourt for one project commission.

“I am not going to be a party for anybody to think that he will use me to be relevant. If you don’t have any job, you don’t have any job. I have a job and I will continue to do my job.”

Wike described the comment stating that the party can do without the five governors as fighting or justice responsible and ignorant

He said most of the people hanging around the presidential candidate and trying to return to power in PDP were all con men, vowing to expose them before the election.

Wike added that “You must have heard what the Governor of Oyo State said. So this idea of people bragging they can do without five states, which they know. Not the ones they don’t know. What they don’t understand is that this war is like a Gorilla war.

“There are those you see, there are those you don’t see. What you don’t know you don’t know. Luckily for me, I have never left this party one day since 1999, never. Some of them whom I see around now, their duty is just to run around anybody who becomes the presidential candidate,” Wike submitted.