PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA – Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has publicly mocked former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu following his suspension from the party by the Benue State branch of the PDP.
Wike expressed his disdain for Ayu during the commissioning of the first phase of the Trans-Kalabari road in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
“Ayu said nobody can suspend him, but today he has packed out from the office. We have an active chairman now. I told him, you will go, whether he likes it or not,” Wike is quoted as saying.
“Those lawyers telling you that the Ward has no power to suspend you, that it is only NEC, then you don’t understand. When you came, it was the Ward that suspended Secondus. And you went and took office, it is now that you know that it is only NEC that can suspend.
“Let me tell you since they’ve not told you, the court has struck out that section of our constitution to say that NEC only can suspend the National Chairman. So you don’t know what you are talking about. PDP did not even appeal the judgment. So, forget, your own is gone. You must be wasting your time.”
Governor Wike also criticised Ayu’s failure to win an election in his unit, ward, and state, asserting that Ayu was not fit to preside over the party.
Wike attacked Ayu for initially claiming that he was unaware of the court’s decision to strike out a section of the PDP constitution, which stipulated that only the National Executive Committee (NEC) could suspend a National Chairman. Wike pointed out that the party did not even appeal the judgment.
Wike vowed to continue fighting for Ayu’s removal until the end of his administration, stating, “We are ready for the battle. I’m not from Benue, but I have an interest, that interest is that Ayu must go. And I’m going to carry it till May 29 when I leave the office.”
Ayu stepped aside from his position as National Chairman of the PDP on Tuesday in compliance with a restraining order issued by a High Court in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The court’s decision and Wike’s public denunciation of Ayu highlight the ongoing internal strife within the PDP as the party navigates its future leadership and direction.
