Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state on Friday, October 14, 2022, revealed other allegations against the Peoples Democratic Party national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, saying the party leader lacked integrity.
He alleged that the PDP chairman also received double pay for a single project, The Punch reported.
“If people know what we know, if we release what we have, Ayu’s children will go to him and say we are no longer your children,” Wike said during his live media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Wike lists Ayu’s sin
1. Wike alleged Ayu collected the sum of N1 billion and N100 million
When asked about the N1 billion he said
Ayu allegedly collected and that there has been no reaction from the national chairman, Wike said:
“There cannot be any comment. He (Ayu) cannot say anything. Look, I am the governor of Rivers state and I don’t just come out to speak.
“Let Ayu say he did not collect N1 billion. In fact, let me also tell you, Ayu collected N100 million naira from a governor that he was going to renovate our democratic institution and then he (Ayu) went back to the PDP NWC and took the same N100 million naira for doing the same work.
“What kind of system is that? I am telling you all these are facts. Let him (Ayu) say no first and I will tell you (those he collected money from).”
2. Ayu is not a man of Integrity, Wike alleges
Amid other allegations against the PDP national chairman, Wike said Ayu lacked integrity.
He added:
“A leader must be a man of integrity. And I have realised that people find it hard to have that (integrity) lately. You are presenting a man (Ayu) who lacked integrity as chairman of the party and somebody that wants to lead a campaign to take the reigns of government?”
3. Money returned by NWC was not authorized by the party leadership, Wike insists
On the money returned by some NWC members, Wike alleged the money was not authorised by the party leadership.
When asked if the money paid to some NWC members was with ulterior motives, Wike said: “Of course. Let me tell you how the money came about.
When it was discussed at the national working committee, Ayu said everybody should calm down and that Nigerians are interested, and that Nigerians will bring money to the party.
“I don’t want us to go deeper because I feel that we are not pushed to the wall (yet). If we are pushed to the wall, what the people will hear, will be something else.”
4. N14 billion gotten from Ekiti elections, not accounted for,
Wike alleges Wike added that the leadership of the party under Ayu can’t account for the huge sum of money made from the Ekiti elections.
He affirmed thus: “Let them show the minutes of the meeting where it was approved.
You made over N14 billion naira (from PDP primaries and sale of forms) and people are saying look, we are going in for an election, ask them about the election that took place in Ekiti, how much did the party spend? ask them.
“What has Ayu done for me in my life for me to show gratitude? Rather, he should be grateful to me and other people. So, there is no basis for vindictiveness here or when people say you are after him because he is not with you and that is not the issue.”
5. Ayu failed to honour the promise he made, Wike says
The embattled Rivers state governor maintained that Ayu has failed to keep to his ‘simple promise’ made to him and Nigerians cannot believe such a fellow let alone vote for the party he is heading.
“If you can not honour what you promise, how can you stand before Nigerians and ask for votes or say anything PDP tells you we will do it? when you have not even done the simple one you said.
“And we are trying to help the PDP to remove this burden from us and you are taking Nigerians for granted saying don’t worry all these things (crisis) will die down, die down where? Wike queried.”
