Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu of using all of his powers to stop him from emerging the Presidential candidate of the main opposition party.
He also slammed Ayu for reneging on his promise to step down should a norther candidate win the party’s presidential ticket.
The governor in a live television interview on Friday, said Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, PDP’s flagbearer also promised in the now famous London meeting with him and supportive PDP governors to ensure that Ayu resigned, but all the promises haven’t been kept.
Wike who led some other governors and party stalwarts to declare that they will follow Atiku to campaign, said Ayu must go for the sake of equity and in the spirit of the PDP’s age long tradition of balancing party and elective positions.
“He was calling aspirants to withdraw for Atiku. I was there, Saraki and others were there.
“He manipulated the delegates. There was nothing Ayu did not do to ensure Wike didn’t emerge,” Wike said.
“Meetings upon meetings were going. Pressures were being mounted on people to step down.
“Even on the night of the convention meetings were going on. That is why we started our convention late.
“Some of the retired generals were involved. Some of the meetings were held in their houses. There is nothing they didn’t do for me to step down.
“Those who know me, know that I would have stopped the convention, even if heaven falls”, he added.
Reacting to the question on perceived betrayal of the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, during the convention, Wike said for to survive as a politician in Nigeria, one must have a shock absorber.
He said Tambuwal “has done what he thinks is the best for him. If his conscience pricks him, he knows what to do. For me, I have moved on, I am not even thinking about that.”
He accused the PDP stakeholders of becoming arrogant, “when we have not won the election.”
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