Nyesom Wike, Rivers State governor, has slammed Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for failing to deliver his state, Benue, his home state for the party.
Wike and his colleagues in the G-5 had demanded the resignation of Ayu as condition for peace in main opposition party.
In the build-up to the February 25 presidential election, Wike’s G-5 failed to back the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Besides Wike, other members of the aggrieved PDP governors include Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu, and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu). Their argument is that both the party’s Chairman and flagbearer cannot come from the same northern region of the country.
After Ayu took over the leadership of PDP in October 2021, the party was hopeful that the former Senate President would lead the main opposition party to victory in the 2023 general polls. But he failed to deliver as the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar only captured 12 states.
Of the 12 states where Atiku raked in 6,984,520 votes, Benue was however not captured for the PDP as the majority of the people voted for Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Tinubu who raked in 8,794,726 votes came out tops in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states and secured significant numbers in several other states to emerge as President-Elect.
Speaking during a media chat with select journalists in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, Wike said Ayu could not even win his polling unit for the PDP.
“What can the National Chairman tell me now when he could not deliver his state? He could not deliver his polling unit?” he queried.
“A small circle of people, you can’t control them. You lost and you say you are the National Chairman. If you have lost it in our states, it is the states that will make the ‘national’ thick. Without the state, you can’t be strong.”
During the interview, Wike denied working against the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi in the 25 February presidential poll.