The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, told him the party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, must go and dare the former vice president to deny it.
Wike said Atiku told him this after he emerged as the party’s standard bearer for 2023 presidential.
He explained that Atiku said since he’s from the North, the national chairman must come from the South.
The governor stated this on Thursday at the inauguration of the Ahoada Campus and staff quarters of the Rivers State University.
He promised to sustain the fight for the return of a healthy party structure that would allow an even representation of the North and South in the national leadership of the PDP.
According to Wike, the current PDP leadership structure of the North holding the presidential ticket and the national chairman positions was against the party’s constitution and a gross injustice to the South.
He argued that the current PDP hierarchy did not give room for the interest of the South, particularly when decisions were to be taken.
Wike said, “Ayu said if the presidential candidate comes from the North, he will resign after the convention of our party, and that the chairman of our party will come from the South.
“When the North-Central leaders met in the house of the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, he said so there. When he met the caucus of the Senate, he told them that.
“Now, when we finished our convention on Sunday, the candidate of the party came to see me in my house in Abuja on Monday around 10:30 am. The candidate told me I want us to work together, and then he said: ‘look, Ayu must go.’
“I said, why? He (Atiku) said because when a candidate comes from the North, the Chairman will come from the South.”
Wike dare Atiku to deny the comment and be ready to hear many other things relating to the current crisis.
The governor said, “And I’m saying, implement what you told me. What offence have I committed? It is nothing to do with Wike.
“It has to do with integrity. This is what he told me. I challenge the presidential candidate to deny this. If he denies it, I will go further to say so many things to Nigerians because enough is enough. We can’t continue this way.”
