Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has traced the arrogance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar and the National Chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, to a deal they struck with somebody at the Presidency.
He said the presidential force was working for Atiku’s victory in 2023 and promised to disclose the identity of the person at the appropriate time.
But Wike, who spoke on Thursday when he led Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde to inaugurate a new Faculty of Humanities built in Ahoada for the Rivers State University by his administration, said Atiku and Ayu might be disappointed in 2023.
He recalled the same presidential force promised someone the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but failed to actualise it.
The Governor insisted that the deal was the main reason why Atiku and Ayu had failed to honour their promises of restructuring the party ahead of the election.
Wike described the resignation of the party’s Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) as inconsequential to the battle of his camp for justice, equity and fairness.
Insisting that Ayu must go, the Governor recalled all they promises made by Ayu to cede his position to the South if a northerner emerged the party’s Presidential Candidate.
He said Atiku immediately he emerged candidate visited him, solicited his support and promised that Ayu would resign in obedience to the party’s constitution
He said it had never happened in the history of the party that the National Chairman and the party’s Presidential Candidate would come from the same zone.
The Governor said he was fighting for the inclusion of the South in the affairs of the party adding that the battle was not about his personal interests.
He said: ” I told Nigerians before that I would speak at the appropriate time, but now that things are happening like this, let me be revealing them in piecemeal so that you will know the kind of country we are in.
“Ayu said if the presidential candidate comes from that north that he will resign based on the convention of our party. When the north central met in the house of Bala Mohammed, the Governor of Bauchi State, he said so there. When they met at the caucus of the Senate, he told them that.
“Now when we finished our convention on a Saturday to Sunday, the candidate of the party, came to see me in my house in Abuja on Monday around 10 to 10:30am. The candidate told me and say, ‘listen I want us to work together’ and then he said, ‘look Ayu must go’.
“But I say why? He said because when a candidate comes from the north, the chairman will come from the south. And I am saying, implement what you told me. What offence have I committed? It has nothing to do with Wike it has to do with integrity.
“I challenge the presidential candidate to deny this. If he denies it I will go further to say many things to Nigerians because enough is enough. We can’t continue this way”.
On the resignation of the BoT Chairman, Wike described the BoT as an advisory body that had no decision-making capacity.
He said: “They have today told the BoT Chairman to resign. Who is talking about chairman of Boat? What is the role of a BoT. It is an advisory body. We have never zoned BOT. It is not a decision-making body. Those, who run the party as it is today is the presidential candidate and the chairman of a party.
“They will sit down and take decisions. The candidate is from the north, the chairman is from the north, who will represent the south in decision making. It is not about me. They are flying propaganda, will I be chairman of a party?
“All I am saying you can’t take the two major positions of a party. You cannot do that and some psychophants do not understand. They are running after them and begging to be named in the campaign council. So it is not about Wike. Fulfill what you have said. You are now telling me you have a four-term tenure. So when you people win what will happen? And nobody wants to think about it.
“They are asking why Wike is making trouble. Am I the one who made a promise. Chairman you made a promise, honour it. Forget about greed. What has killed Nigeria are leaders, who cannot honour what they have told people. You have told the BoT chairman to resign, so you know. You have agreed with us that this thing cannot be in one place.
“But the position we are talking about is the chairman of the party. It is not about the BoT. When ex-general went to see the BoT chairman and the candidate went to see him and asked him to resign that they would give him an advisory role. What is advisory when the BoT position is advisory. What are you going to give him. That is to insult us.
“You think it is Wike, it is you and your children. How can we be here, the chairman and the presidential candidate will meet, they take a decision, nobody represents us. Just wait, pray they win then you will see. Just watch”.
Speaking on the arrogance of Atiku and Ayorchia, the Governor said: “Why are they being so arrogant? I can tell you, they are arrogant because they believe somebody at the Presidency is backing them.
“But what they don’t understand is that the same person at the Presidency backed somebody during APC presidential primary and the person failed. I will tell Nigerians at the appropriate time who is that person at the Presidency that is backing them and making them arrogant.
