Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has challenged PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to stop any candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) from contesting the 2023 elections.
Wike who spoke to journalists in Port Harcourt on Sunday said this in reaction to statements credited to PDP National Chairman,Dr Iyorcha Ayu that he , Ayu has the right to stop those fighting him from contesting the 2023 election.
The governor said that the PDP National Chairman has no power to stop any candidate from contesting an election describing the statement as unfortunate
,“The statement credited to the PDP National Chairman that he has the right to stop any candidate from contesting election is very unfortunate. Nobody said that Ayu should be sacked. By our constitution, there is zoning for political parties. There is no way a party candidate and the National Chairman of a party can come from the same place. Nobody is interested in sacking Dr Iyorchia Ayu what we are saying is that the National Chairman of PDP should concede to the agreement reached that he should resign the moment the presidential candidate emerged.
” Nobody said he is sacking anybody what we are saying is that he should keep to the agreement. If you said that you are not keeping to the promise, no problem. I heard when he said that he would have stopped Ortom from contesting, a man that brought you and pleaded that you should be made Chairman. Ortom stood as a guarantee for Ayu to become the National Chairman of the PDP. I dare Ayu to stop anybody from contesting the election.
“I dare him to come to Rivers State and stop any candidate from contesting the election. Do we really want to win election? The party is really in a dilemma. The presidential candidate of the party comes from the north and if you said that you will not keep to the agreement so be it. I will not be a party to anybody that wants to use me to be relevant.
“I have been in PDP and have never left the party. I dare him, Ayu, again to stop any candidate from contesting an election. He knows that he cannot do that he has no such power. Let him come to Rivers State and stop anybody. I dare him to do that,”The governor added.
He said Ayu is an ingrate who bit the finger that fed him, in reference to how Ayu’s journey to the National Chairmanship of the party began.
According to the governor, the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom was the one who introduced Ayu and pleaded with him( Wike) to be made the National Chairman of the party and having got his ambition fulfilled,Ayu is now threatening to stop Ortom and other candidates from contesting the election saying”:I dare him to stop anybody from contesting election”
