Tiv Youths Warn Ortom, Wike Against Ayu’s Removal

A group, Tiv Youth Council Worldwide has cautioned Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, his Rivers’ State counterpart Nyesom Wike and some other aggrieved members of Peoples democratic party (PDP) against their plot to remove Senator Iyorchai Ayu as chairman.of the party.

The youths said the governors and their associates’ insistence on the removal of Ayu as the only ground for peace talks between the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and Wike was in bad faith

In a swift reaction, special adviser to governor Ortom on media and publicity Terver Akase said there is no group called Tiv Youth Council Worldwide, saying it only exists in the imagination of those behind it.

Akase said “The characters who wrote that trash are members of a briefcase association of jobless and misguided APC youths who have been assigned the role of fueling disharmony within the PDP. Pls disregard their baseless utterances,” Akase stated

President of the group, Hon. Mike Msuaan, in a press release he issued in Abuja yesterday, claimed that Ortom was working with other governors to remove Ayu from office.

Msuaan decried what he described as pull him down syndrome in the PDP and alleged that Ortom was fighting every prominent Tiv man to reign supreme.

He said,  “Ortom set up a judicial panel of inquiry which indicted former Benue State governor Suswam of mismanagement of state funds. Ortom has issued a white Paper. Many political pundits hold the opinion that the detention of Suswam by security operatives for 73 days was the highlight of the governors onslaught against his predecessor/

“In his bid to seek for an unpopular second term bid in 2019, after a dismal performance, Governor Ortom claimed that his benefactor Sen. George Akume, the leader of the APC, issued him a red card. He decamped to the PDP and commenced the persecution of Sen. Akume. Infact Ortom boasted publicly that he had retired Sen. Akume from politic,” he said in the statement.

Msuaan expressed worry that the demand for the removal of the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, another prominent Tiv man has the tacit support of Governor Ortom”

The group maintained, “Ortom is a very close, trusted and bosom friend of Governor Nyesom Wike. This friendship led to the conferment of the chieftaincy title of ‘ Igyuve i Tiv” on governor Wike by the Tiv Traditional Council this cementing the relationship between the Tiv people and governor Wike. It is strange that, a title holder like Wike will insist on the removal of a prominent Tiv son as the only condition to reconcile with the flag bearer of the PDP ”

After the PDP national convention which led to the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the choice of Governor Okowa as the running mate to Atiku, Governor Wike has refused to work for the PDP. Information from the Wike camp has it that, the removal of Dr. Ayu as the national chairman is the first condition given by Wike camp for further negotiations with the flag bearer of the party, Atiku Abubakar.

Msuaan wondered while as a confidant of Governor Wike, Ortom has blatantly refused to initiate peace efforts between the two persons rather on Arise TV, Ortom asked the National leadership of the party to go and beg Governor Wike. According to him, Wike is a prominent member of the PDP who must be pacified.

“It is our believe that the governor Ortom is fully aware of the clandestine moves to remove Ayu as National Chairman of the PDP. Ortom who claims to be outspoken has kept mute over the demand of his friend Wike, to have his (Ortom) kinsman removed as the National Chairman. “