Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state has asked Sen Iyorcha Ayu to accept that his reign as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ended.
Wike during the inauguration of the Trans-Kalabari Road at Degema Krakrama Bridge, Degema Local Government Area (LGA) on Tuesday asked Ayu to come to terms with the reality of his fate after Ayu announced he was stepping aside following his suspension by his ward executive in Benue state.
The governor said, “Ayu said nobody can suspend him but today, he has packed out from the national office. We have an acting chairman. I told him he will go whether you like it or not, he will go.
“Those lawyers telling you the ward has no power to suspend you, that only National Executive Council (NEC) can, then you don’t understand what is happening. When you came, it was the ward that suspended (Uche) Secondus, and you went and took office, is it not?”
“So, is it now that you know that it is only NEC that can suspend you? Let me tell you, since they’ve not told you, the court has struck off that section of our constitution that says it’s only NEC can suspend (chairman). PDP did not even appeal the judgement.
“So, forget it, you are gone. You are wasting your time. We are ready for the battle. I am not from Benue, but I have an interest and that interest is that Ayu must go.
“Look at it, a national chairman, your own ward will be suspending you. Does it not tell you that you are not on the ground? Your own ward will be suspending you and you go to television to say only NEC can suspend you. Stay, wait for NEC, but then know that you’re gone.”
He further said, “Ayu, the man you supported for president, you didn’t give him a vote, he lost. We supported a Southern president and we won in our States for equity, justice and fairness.
“A man who lost his unit, a man who lost his ward, a man who lost his local government, a man who lost his State and he is coming to preside over us who won our units, won our wards, won our local governments, won our state, something must be wrong.
“You cannot reap where you never sowed. If all of us have lost our States, what will you be chairing? You want to use Rivers State to be chairman, we are not a party to that. Go and bring your own local government.
“Here (in Rivers), we won 32 over 32 seats for House of Assembly, Ayu, how many did you win? Here, we won the 3 seats for the senate too, Ayu, how many did you win? We won 11 out of the 13 seats for the House of Representatives, Ayu, how many did you win?”
Inaugurating the road project on the occasion, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State noted that governor Wike has done so well for Rivers people because of the spread of his development projects in virtually every community, priding himself as following the footsteps of the Rivers governor.