Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said he is in support of the suspension of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu.
The Executive Committee of the PDP in Igyorov Ward of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, suspended Ayu on Sunday, after passing a vote of no confidence on him for anti-party activities.
Speaking on the issue, Wike who was a guest on Sunrise Daily stated that he supports the move because Ayu played a major role in the colossal failure of the PDP in the 2023 general elections.
“I am in support of the suspension,” Wike replied when asked if he was behind the actions of the PDP officials in Benue.
“In fact, if he (Ayu) had left before now, they would have said he has left and that was why the PDP failed the election,” the governor buttressed his point.
“First of all, if you are a member of the party will you be happy with the way the party is today, it is only in this country that you see someone who has failed woefully and without any conscience would still like to occupy the position
“In advanced countries like you see and you are the head of the party, I feel like such a colossal failure you do not need anybody to tell you to turn in the towel
“So those in his ward from Benue are hungry, why are they angry before now Ayu ought to have left that office, people were saying we were pushing for Ayu to leave and that we had a hidden agenda to make PDP fail
“Ayu remained and PDP didn’t win, you lost your unit as National Chairman you lost your ward, as National Chairman you lost your Local government, as National Chairman of the party not only did you take a distant third in the presidential election you also lost in the state gubernatorial election,” Wike explained.
Governor Wike said that stakeholders who have the PDP’s interest at heart, cannot sit back and watch it be destroyed in the hands of individuals who have nothing attached to the party.
He said no one can take directives from a politician who could not deliver his ward and was not able to ensure the party was successful at his local government and state level, “what then is your contribution,” Wike asked.
Governor Wike speaking further insisted that his goal was to have a united nation despite the intentions of the PDP.
“The PDP would have won the elections, we worked for the unity of Nigeria, remember we have said this before, PDP was not interested in the unity of the country, if they were they wouldn’t have done what they did,” Wike said.
“By our constitution of the party, the party has always said party positions should be zoned, when we started the issue of the National Chairman, it was arguments by the lots saying that no, we agreed, zone the party chairman to the north and which we did, it was Ayu who said,
Wike had been vocal about Ayu’s resignation, saying there was nowhere in the party’s constitution where the president and the chairman of the party would come from the same zone.
He also said he was going to step down if both the presidential candidate and running mate came from the Northern zone.
“If the presidential candidate emerges from the North I was going to resign, knowing fully well that it has been our contention that presidential candidate and vice president cannot come from the same zone,” he said.
“For the first time in the history of this country, the All Progressive Congress governors came out to say we have occupied this position for eight years and the way Nigeria is now, allow the other zone to produce the president for the unity, for the inclusiveness, for the oneness of Nigeria, that is the ruling party.”
” I prefer unity of Nigeria to party because I shouldn’t have been talking about the party and Nigeria would be destroyed tomorrow”
“If you intentionally jettison the constitution of your party ”
