PDP crisis: Ayu did everything for me not to emerge, says Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has revealed that there was nothing that the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP Senator Iyorchia Ayu did not do for him not to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party.

Wike made this revelation during an interview with Channels TV today (Friday).

“There’s nothing Ayu did not do for me not to emerge as the PDP candidate. Ayu did everything to manipulate the system to ensure that all the numbers did not add up,” he said.

The PDP held its presidential primaries in May, which produced Abubakar Atiku as the party’s flag bearer for 2023.

Recall that Wike had earlier said he has no reason to leave the PDP, no matter the situations threatening unity of the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Wike at a Rivers PDP stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt Thursday, the first of such since the rancorous presidential primaries and picking of running mate had said he would tell his own side of the story on Friday.

The governor said that he was interested in preserving the sanity of the party and will stay back to fight for the enthronement of unity, inclusivity, equity and peace in the PDP.

Wike said, “I have always told people, if anybody is thinking we will leave PDP, foul. We will fight at the party. We are not like them, when in 2014 they walked out from Eagle Square. They’ve forgotten. They walked out and joined APC. Is it not correct?

“Did they remain to fight inside the party? But we remained, they ran away. Now, there is a fight in the party, we will not run. We will fight it in this party. Those who run away from fight are weak people. We will not. So everybody should know this is the state where we are. So that nobody tells you all kinds of stories.”

The governor noted that the party constitution clearly stating that elective and party offices must be zoned should be respected, wondering why former PDP Board of Trustee (BOT) Chairman would be pressured to resign and while national chairman, Sen Iyorchia Ayu excuses self from doing what is right.