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From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has challenged the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, stop the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, or any other contestant from contesting for any position in the 2023 general elections.
The governor stated this at his private residence, in Rumuepirikom, Obio/Akpor, yesterday, while reacting to a recent statement credited to the national chairman of the party, where he said that nobody could sack him from office and he can stop of any contestant from contesting in the forthcoming elections.
Governor Wike stated that Ayu’s threat was a demonstration of impunity, stressing that the PDP national chairman lacks the wherewithal to achieve the threat.
The governor said that nobody is interested in sacking Ayu as the PDP National Chairman, but pointed out that all that he and his team were saying is that, the former should concede to the agreement reached that he should resign the moment the party’s presidential candidate emerged.
According to the governor, Ayu, by his statements, had demonstrated impunity which has given wrong signal to Nigerians about the chances of the opposition party in the forthcoming elections.
Governor Wike declared that PDP was in dilemma, and the national chairman’s utterances might be detrimental to their chances of clinching power in 2023.
Wike said: “The statement credited to the PDP National Chairman that he has right to stop any candidate from contesting election is very unfortunate. Nobody said that Ayu should be sacked.
“By our constitution, there is zoning for political parties. There is no way a party candidate and the National Chairman of a party can come from the same place. Nobody is interested in sacking Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. What we are saying is that the National Chairman of PDP should concede to the agreement reached that he should resign the moment the presidential candidate emerged.
“Nobody said he is sacking anybody. What we are saying is that he should keep to the agreement. If you said that you are not keeping to the promise, no problem.
“I heard when he said that he would stop Ortom from contesting; a man that brought you and pleaded that you should be made chairman? Ortom stood as a guarantor for Ayu to become the National Chairman of PDP. I dare Ayu to stop anybody from contesting the election.
“I dare him to come to Rivers State and stop any candidate from contesting the election. Do we really want to win election? The party is really in a dilemma. The presidential candidate of the party comes from the North and if you said that you will not keep to agreement, so be it. I will not be a party to anybody that wants to use me to be relevant.
“Since 1999 till date, I have been in PDP and have never left the party. I dare him (Ayu) again to stop any candidate from contesting election. He knows that he cannot do that. He has no such power. Let him come to Rivers State and stop anybody. I dare him to that.”
According to the state governor, Ayu’s insistence to remain as the national chairman, is his interest to superintendent whatever money that would enter the party’s treasury.
