"You don't have the power, I dare you to stop political ambition of any member", Wike tells Ayu

By Our Correspondent

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), does not have the power to stop any member of the party from contest elections.

Wike said this on Sunday in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state.

The Rivers governor was responding to a recent comment made by Ayu in Gboko, Benue state.

While addressing his supporters on Friday, Ayu had said he could have stopped the political ambitions of those calling for his resignation.

Some party members demanding Ayu’s resignation are seeking elective offices in the 2023 general election.

“I have been silent over all the things you are hearing against me because I don’t want any crack in the party I belong to in my state,” Ayu had said.

“I have the powers to say ‘you and you will not go anywhere’, because I will insist that I must sign before you go anywhere.

“But I have signed for all candidates produced by the PDP to go ahead in their dreams — whether I like it or not, I signed.”

Reacting on Sunday, Wike said he challenges Ayu to stop any party member from contesting in the 2023 elections.

“I dare the national chairman of PDP to stop any contestant for the election. I dare Ayu to stop any PDP candidate from contesting the election. He doesn’t have the power,” Wike said. 

“It is in this country where you say a man is very corrupt and he is trying to talk,” Wike said.

Wike recalled how Ortom convinced other governors to allow Ayu to become party chairman against the resolution of the governors who had agreed that the National chairman should not come from a place where a PDP governor comes from.

He said: 

“The agreement by the governors was that no national chairman should come from where a PDP governor comes from but Ortom came, and he is a man we respect and that he wants to promote his people and let them be at the national politics, we said okay.

“This is a man (Ayu) who never campaigned anywhere and now can tell you that if he wanted to stop the man who brought him, who guaranteed him. That’s the corruption we are talking about.

“He has now come into office, he has seen money, he has seen power and now can open his mouth to say if he wanted to stop Ortom he would have stopped him.

“He said he can also stop any contestant, look at him, maybe he’s hollow, he doesn’t know anything.

“I dare him. If he’s National Chairman I dare him to stop any contestants if he has what it takes”.

Governor Wike also disclosed that he dealt with Ayu when he allegedly attempted to impose a governorship candidate in Rivers state.