On Thursday, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike berated Iyorchia Ayu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, for becoming “arrogant” after receiving assistance to achieve the position.
The Governor who spoke in the wake of the ongoing party crisis in PDP urged the national chairman to keep to his promise by relinquishing his position since he promised to resign if a northern won the party’s presidential ticket.
“These children you said we are, brought you from nothing,” the governor said during the commissioning of Omerelu Internal roads in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.
“Somebody said those of you who said the right thing must be done are boys; they are children. You can imagine what power can do. You can imagine how the ingratitude; how people can be ingrates,” the Rivers governor said.
“I thought as a chairman of a party who wants to win the election, your business is to bring peace to the party; your business is not to divide your party, your business is not to show arrogance.
“Dr Ayu said we are children. Yes, the children brought you to be chairman of the party, the children brought you from the gutter to make you chairman.
“Ayu, you were impeached as Senate President, Ayu you were sacked by (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo in his administration two times. Arrogance cannot take you anywhere.”
His remark is the latest in a series of requests on Ayu to step down as party chairman following the election of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar (from Adamawa State) as the PDP’s presidential candidate in May.
Ayu, who is from Benue State, announced in October that he would step down as chairman if the region produced the PDP presidential candidate. However, he stated on Wednesday that he will not resign.
Backpedalling his decision, Ayu maintained that he was legitimately elected as the national chairman of the party, hence his decision to remain party chairman.
Walid Jibrin, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), and a northerner from Nasarawa State had earlier agreed that it is unjust for the party to have its candidate for president and national chairman from the same region.
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