Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has described as out of order the resolution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) that mandated national chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, to make a commitment that he would resign after the 2023 elections.
The governor wondered why the BoT could not make Ayu to fulfil his initial commitment that he would resign if a northerner emerges as presidential candidate from the PDP convention.
Wike spoke yesterday at the international wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, on arrival from a brief trip to Madrid, Spain.
He was accompanied by Governors Seyi Makinde, Okezie Ikpeazu and Samuel Ortom, of Oyo, Abia and Benue States.
Faulting PDP BoT’s resolution in Ayu, he said, “To say he should make another commitment that he will resign after the elections, for me, BOT resolution is ridiculous.”
Wike noted that Ayu failed to inform the party’s national working committee (NWC) about the N1.1 billion he received on behalf of the party.
He also expressed mixed feelings over comments credited to PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, that what the North needs is a northerner, not an Igbo or a Yoruba person as next president of Nigeria.
Wike took a swipe at the PDP national chairman for the kind of responses he gave over the allegations levelled against him, saying Ayu stands indicted except proven otherwise.
He said, “Luckily for me, he (Ayu) has now mentioned that he went to the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Waziri of Adamawa where they discussed the issues of borrowing.
“Now, the question is, when you talk about borrowing, who approves borrowing? You must go to the National Working Committee (NWC) to say you want to borrow money.
“I challenge him to bring the records where NWC approved that the party should go and borrow N1 billion. What is the collateral?”
The governor explained that in matters of funding the party and the governors had been up to that responsibility dutifully.
He said, “It was therefore unthinkable that the national chairman would, in the guise of seeking funding for the party, opt to collect loan on behalf of the party without notifying the NWC and governors.
“Be sincere; how can you talk of N1 billion loan without the NWC mulling the idea, without the governors knowing. Then you talk about the N100 million he said he told the Board of Trustees (BOT).
“If any governor gives you N100million in order to rebuild one of the structures of the party, the Democratic Institute, let him show the minutes of the NWC where he said a governor has contributed N100 million. Let him show the account to reflect this N100 million.
“Let him also say that the N100m was in Naira or in Dollars. He said he gave it to the treasurer. I thought he would have told the world that NWC was aware.”
The Rivers governor maintained that his allegations against Ayu were categorical and it was expected that his responses should address each of the issues separately.
Wike said, “In fact, the normal thing is that once any governor or any party person has donated money to the party, you will go and tell NWC that so and so person has donated money. Let him (Ayu) show us the account where this money was paid into.
“Coming out to do a general denial is not denial. You (Ayu) must specifically deny the allegations that were made.”
The governor also asked Ayu to mention names of those he contacted to handle the rehabilitation going on at the PDP Democratic Institute and at the national secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone in Abuja.
He said, “Ask him; the contracts that are going on in this Democratic Institute and that of Wadata, who is doing that contract, is it not one of his sons?
