Wike insists Ayu must resign now, not after elections

• Says it’s hypocritical to condemn APC Muslim-Muslim ticket

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike says he has accepted former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party but insists Iyiorcha Ayu must relinquish his position as the party’s national chairman.

He said this after Atiku rescheduled his campaigns to enable new emissaries sent to the governor to intervene in the lingering crisis in the party.

The camp of Wike, comprising five governors and other influential members of the party, had shunned the campaign council over the refusal of the national chairman to resign.

Atiku and the campaign train expected to be in Kebbi State on Wednesday and Zamfara today (Thursday) had to be rescheduled in order for party to woo Wike camp into the Atiku project.

Speaking when he hosted Cross River State PDP governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, House of Assembly candidates and local government party chairmen at his private residence in Rumueprikom, Rivers State, on Thursday, Wike said efforts for amicable resolution of the crisis rocking the PDP had been frustrated by “rent seeker” in the party.

The governor said nobody could convince him to change his position on the PDP national chairmanship moving to the southern Nigeria.

The governor, during the meeting which was attended by the party’s South-South national vice chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, said the crisis in the party had lingered because some vested interests, whom he described as “hyenas and rent seekers,” had remained obstinate and averse to justice, fairness and equity in the party.

“We have finished presidential primaries; we have a presidential candidate. Is Wike saying remove presidential candidate? Is Wike saying remove vice presidential candidate? So, what are you begging me for? All I am saying, and I will continue to say, is that you have taken president, give us (national) chairman.

“Nobody wants to speak the truth. If I am saying remove the presidential candidate, if I am saying remove the vice presidential candidate, then you will say why is he doing this?”

The governor said he could not be convinced to support the current status quo, where the PDP presidential candidate, national chairman and the Director General of the presidential campaign council are all from the North.

He said the refusal to cede the national chairman position to the South would be a recipe for crisis.

“He (national chairman) said, if the presidential candidate comes from the North, he will resign , which means he has had this in mind. Now, the thing has come to reality, now resign, no. And people are saying go and talk to Wike.

“I’ve accepted the presidential candidate, I have accepted the vice presidential candidate. What’s the problem again? You, fulfil your part. Let the South have something; that is all I’m preaching. You cannot have presidential candidate, national chairman, director general of the campaign.”

The governor also said it is hypocritical for some people in the PDP to criticise the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, while supporting that a particular region of the country should retain the presidency for another eight years.

He insisted that for the sake of peace, the PDP should adhere to the tenets of its constitution, which recommends that when a presidential candidate emerges from the North, the national chairman should be from the South.

The governor said the clamour for the chairman of the PDP to be zoned to the South would persist until justice, fairness and equity prevailed in the PDP.

He said, “This is period that power game is being played. If you don’t have it now, forget it. If anybody tells you, let (Iyorchia) Ayu resign after election is conducted, then you are a foolish person. This is the time decision is being made. This is the time the presidential candidate, national chairman and the leader of campaign will sit, when election is won in February, before the president is sworn in, decisions would have been made.”