Ayu’s Children Will Disown Him If We Release His Sins, Says Wike

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has said the sins of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are so grievous that if they are disclosed his children will disown him.

“If people know what we know, if we release what we have, Ayu’s children will go to him and say we are no longer your children,” Wike said.

Speaking during a live media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Friday, the Governor said Ayu has no locus to stand before Nigerians and campaign for PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The Governor maintained the PDP boss had no integrity and alleged that the chairman also received double pay for a single project.

On the N1billion he accused Ayu of collecting, Wike said: “There cannot be any comment. He (Ayu) cannot say anything. Look, I am the Governor of Rivers state and I don’t just come out to speak.\

“Let Ayu say he did not collect N1 billion. In fact, let me also tell you, Ayu collected N100 million from a Governor that he was going to renovate our democratic institution and then he (Ayu) went back to the PDP NWC and took the same N100 million naira for doing the same work.

“What kind of system is that? I am telling you all these are facts. Let him (Ayu) say no first and I will tell you (those he collected money from).

“A leader must be a man of integrity. And I have realised that people find it hard to have that (integrity) lately. You a presenting a man (Ayu) who lacked integrity as chairman of the party. Somebody that wants to lead a campaign to take the reigns of government?

“What is the problem with what we are asking of Ayu? We are saying let there be equity, let there be fairness and justice. But if you don’t want it that way then you are the one causing the crisis (in the party) and that shows you (Ayu) don’t have leadership skills because this is the time to show it. This is the time to show leadership skills on the part of those who are leaders of the party.”

Wike said the PDP and its presidential candidate must do the right thing for the party to stand a chance of winning the presidential election in 2023.

The Governor described the right thing as the resignation of Ayu as PDP national chairman for a southerner to occupy the seat within the principle of equity, fairness and justice.

He said: “Any leader of a group, who causes crisis within the group that he leads, truly lacks the requisite skills to navigate affairs of such group.

“This is the time to show leadership skill on the part of those who are leaders of the party. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is the presidential candidate. He is the one who feels the pain.”

Wike made reference to the party’s Constitution that spells it out in Section 7 (3) (c) that all political and elective positions must be zoned.

He wondered why it had become difficult for Ayu to respect the constitution or even keep to his promise and quit the office.

“We have not held the presidential primary before the national chairman of the party said if the presidential candidate emerges from his area, he will quit”, he said.

He said the mission to rescue Nigeria required a leader with proven integrity to lead the party.

He said: “For God’s sake, knowing that you are in a party that wants to take over the reign of governance in the country, we know Nigerians know the problems confronting the country.

“If a leader does not have integrity, forget it. We need a man who will tell his people this; a man who will be firm, a man who will be courageous to do those things that even people find it difficult to do.

“You are presenting a man who is the head of the party, the chairman of the party, who has no integrity to lead the campaign to take over the reigns of governance.”

Wike insisted that the chairmanship position of the party should go south before the elections, saying it was not acceptable to suggest such rotation would take place after the election.

“Who is there to decide for the South? Why will you tell me until when you finish election that’s when a southerner will emerge as chairman”, he said.

Wike described as untrue the report in the media that some former PDP Governors, including Dr Peter Odili, were sent to him to resolve the crisis in the party.

Speaking further, Wike decried the perennial flooding experienced in parts of the country as a result of lack of initiative on the part of the federal government to dredge the River Benue and River Niger respectively.

Wike asserted that one way of solving the ravaging yearly flooding situation was to pay attention to the sources of water flow and end the suffering of Nigerians, who became impacted every year.

He said: “I asked what is this problem that we can’t dredge River Benue and River Niger? Each time I fly over Benue, the sight makes me cry. We won’t have had so much problem to this extent if we dredge them

“But the politics, I do not know. Who is interested for River Benue, River Niger not to be dredged, and that has caused so much hardship for our people.

“How can government from time refused to dredge the rivers and I heard, sometime, that they awarded the Calabar River. What happened, where is the money?”

Wike wondered why the Federal Government will award a contract like the dredging of Calabar River but would not demand its execution, even when communities continued to suffer from such negligence.

Wike also informed that the taskforce on flood set up in the State was directly supervised by him to ensure that the impacted victims directly benefited from the relief materials.

The Governor dismissed insinuation that Sir Celestine Omehia was derecognised by Rivers lawmakers because he was supporting Atiku.

According to him, the lawmakers took their decision based on Supreme Court judgment that sacked him.

Wike dismissed claim by the management of Africa Independent Television (AIT) that the company acquired its land in Port Harcourt from the State Government.

He said when the Assembly started deliberation of the land, AIT failed to provide any letter of allocation to claim ownership of the land that was supposed to house its regional office in Port Harcourt.

Wike also mentioned that he desired to construct a ring road estimated to cost N70bn from Okrika Town axis through Eleme to the Port Harcourt International Airport and terminate at Choba town.

He said since the tenure of his administration would end in May 2023, he would recommend to the incoming administration to execute the project because of its importance.

The Governor said the appointment of 50,000 Special Assistants had provided job opportunity for the affected persons.