Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has lambasted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, over his comments against the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
The PUNCH reported that Ayu had said he has the power to stop Ortom’s senatorial ambition and those of others eyeing various positions on the platform of the party.
However, Wike, while briefing journalists at his private residence in Rumiprikon, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area on Sunday dared Ayu to make good his threat.
He said it was unfortunate for Ayu to speak against Ortom who brought him to become the party’s chairman because the governor told him what he was not doing right.
Wike, while reacting to Ayu’s comment that nobody can sack him, said the issue was not about anyone sacking Ayu but honouring his promise if he has any integrity left in him.
“It is most unfortunate. Nobody has said Ayu should be sacked. The word sacking and keeping to your promise are two different things,” the governor said.
Wike said his camp’s position remained that since the party’s constitution said there must be zoning for elective and political offices, there is no way the presidential candidate and the party’s national chairman will come from one zone.
He added, “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 for sacking people.
“If at this point, 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 it has happened, you are running away from doing that. How do you expect Nigerians to now believe you? How do you convince them to vote for your party when they know you won’t keep to integrity?
“I heard when he said he would have stopped Ortom from running. You see how ungrateful human beings are.
“This was the same Governor Ortom who pleaded with us, and said listen, ‘I can take this risk and let him (Ayu) become the national chairman.’ The governors agreed 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 (Ayu) who never campaigned anywhere. This is a man who never bought a form or a poster. Even the money they gave him to print posters, he never printed any posters. Now he is saying he can stop the man who brought him, who became his guarantor.”
Wike stated that probably Ayu was hoping that Nigerians will donate money to the party so that he will become a superintendent over the money.
