By Emeka Amaefula
RIVERS STATE GOVERNOR NYESOM WIKE SPEAKS ON REASONS HE LOST THE PDP PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION
IYORCHIA AYU IS CORRUPT, HE COLLECTED ONE BILLION NAIRA
The Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike is a man who never gives up in his pursuits especially on political matters. On Friday 23rd of September, 2022 when he gathered Journalists inside his office and opened up on matters concerning why he is at war with Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. His anger about the lack of integrity by the Presidential candidate of PDP who he said visited him and offered his opinion that if the Presidential candidate comes from Northern Nigeria that the party National Chairman will come from the South according to le 7 (3) (c). The Rivers state Governor reinstated that his true regret is not having had the opportunity to fight Boko haram and the second regret is that he didn’t get that chance to stop Oil theft.
“ People who want political power will always manipulate the system so I am still a PDP member, a committed member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.”
For the Rivers state Governor, he took passionate look of the political situation almost a year before the May 2022 PDP Presidential primary election as he was among the Southern Governors’ Forum who met at Asaba and took a decision that the 2023 Presidential Ticket for the major political parties must be zoned to the Southern Nigeria as the Northern Nigeria has served for 8-years of President Muhammadu Buhari come May 29th, 2023. He stated that he believes in equity, Justice and fairness. It was based on the above premise that the then serving National Chairman of PDP Prince Uche Secondus, a Rivers state citizen, was asked to resign from office to pave the way for a Northern extraction National Chairman for PDP. All progressives Congress-APC followed this same logic and zoned their Presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria. To his greatest surprise for an opposition political party PDP set up a Committee on the zoning of Political Offices which was headed by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state and Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state. The decision of this Committee zoned all party offices but failed to effect the zoning according to PDP Constitution as it came out with declaration that the Office of President is left open for all interested party members. At this time Atiku Abubakar had already purchased the Nomination and Expression of Intent Form for the office of President without complying with the constitution that stated that If the Party Chairman comes from the North that the President will come from Southern Nigeria.
For the Rivers state Governor Wike, he decided to embark on his presidential Primary election with the hope and aspiration of a loyal party man. With the emergence of Senator Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of the party, who is from the North, it became incumbent on the National Working Committee NWC to effect a change in the leadership of the party. That Iyorchia Ayu promised that if the Presidential Primary election results in the emergence of a Northern candidate that he will resign from office to pave way for a Southern candidate which he had reneged on
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HOW I LOST MY PRESIDENTIAL TICKET TO ATIKU ABUBAKAR
———THE ONE BILLION NAIRA BRIBE MONEY ISSUED AT LAGOS TO IYORCHIA AYU
The embattled outgoing governor of Rivers state Nyesom Wike narrated to the journalist in a live Media parley attended by this reporter inside Government House Port Harcourt. Dressed in a Navy-blue jacket with matching navy blue trousers and a walking stick wearing a bowler hat. His face was bright but his usual mien outlook depicting his trademark of a serious strong political figure which he alludes to himself. The Rivers state executive Governor diminishes his leaping irregular steps as he walks with his stylish walking stick as an aid. Having sat down comfortably and looking at the audience with his mission to break his silence since he lost the 2022 PDP Presidential Primary election a promise he had made to Nigerian s and the world that he shall speak and expose what happened to him and PDP the rape of delegates’ electoral votes of 774 in number.
Governor Wike narrated how the National Chairman of PDP had personal hatred on his emergence as Presidential candidate of his party. That he began contacting other Governors and ending it up with alleged disbursement of the sum of one billion naira by some people that he will name if Iyorchia Ayu denies not collecting N1Billion from some business men at Lagos prior to the National Convention with ulterior motive to deliver Atiku Abubakar as Presidential candidate of PDP.
The Rivers state Governor went ahead to allege that the Chairman of the Presidential primary election Senator David Mark, also participated in robbing him of the PDP Presidential Primary Ticket as while all aspirants had completed making their statements, that he was surprised when Senator David Mark allowed Governor of Sokoto state Aminu Tambuwal to mount the podium and make a declarative statement that he hereby withdraws from the contest and that he is asking his supporters to turn their votes for him to Atiku Abubakar. He stated that this was the climax of the conspiracy to stop Wike from emerging as the Presidential candidate of PDP in the 2023 General election.
Again, having lost his chance to emerge as PDP presidential Candidate while in preparation for him to return to Port Harcourt on Monday but to his surprise Atiku Abubakar paid him visit at his Abuja office RIVERS HOUSE Abuja where after the open reception Atiku Abubakar and himself went into private meeting where Atiku Abubakar promised that Senator Iyorchia Ayu must resign as Presidential candidate and the Party chairman cannot come from the same zone. And that against his style of politics that he never fancied hero worshipping of anyone but he was advised to return Atiku Abubakar’s visit and congratulate him for his victory. Which he did and flew back to port Harcourt to continue delivering the dividends of democracy to his good people of Rivers state. According Governor Wike, he never lobbied to be appointed as running Mate to President Atiku Abubakar but he cited the political situation that took place while Joe Biden and Kamala Harris contested for the Democratic party Presidential Primary election, that Joe Biden never wanted to nominate Kamala Harris but the advisers around him told him that for Democratic Party to win the election he should nominate Kamala Harris as his running mate as she gave him serious challenge during the Presidential primary election. But in the case of PDP Senator Iyorchia Ayu, he alleged ran to Atiku Abubakar in the Midnight prior to the announcement of the Running mate and dissuaded him not to nominate Nyesom Wike after the Committee had according to order of sequence listed three serving Governors, Ifeanyi Okwa of Delta state, Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel and himself as he never lobbied the committee that sat and presented the choice of running mate not Ifeanyi Okowa. Governor Wike alleged that as a grass root politician he is privy to the influence of Delta State Governor in supporting Atiku Abubakar with cash which later resulted to his being chosen as Presidential running mate.
WHY PDP MAY LOSE 2023 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IF AYU FAILS TO RESIGN
Another revelation came out from that media parley of Friday 23rd of September, 2022 is the way the Presidential election result will swing to if the alleged imbalance of party leadership hierarchy is not adjusted to include a Southern national chairman. The Rivers state Governor queried that 5-governors visited London, himself, Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Seye Makinde of Oyo state and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state where they agreed that Iyorchia Ayu must resign from office and that Atiku Abubakar promised to effect that but a week after their return Atiku Abubakar has not called any meeting to say what he is saying now about constitutional implication of removing Ayu. He queried that Atiku Abubakar is now citing constitutional breaches if Ayu resigns whereas he forgot constitutional breaches while he ascended to contesting for the Presidential primary election when he knew that it should go to the Southern.
“The issue as it is today is as provided in our constitution of the party section 7(3)(C) made clear that there shall be zoning of party offices and elective offices…very clearly stated as it is not ambiguous. You know people who want to ascend to political power will always try to manipulate the system in order to suit them. And when they are doing this, they do not let the public know the actual facts. All they do is to slant the story in such a way that it will deceive the public. The founding fathers of our party never made a mistake as they knew the country called Nigeria and the complexities of this country. And in doing things they tried to move this country forward. They have made it in such a way that we don’t have problems in our party. That’s why it’s always good to remember history, it may be not be favourable to you but the party and the country must remember that in 2014/2015 there’s this issue of the Presidential candidate of the party which of course at that time we have as President, President Goodluck Jonathan, who emerged as Presidential candidate of our party PDP, they also recommend in that convention that so many people walked out from that convention people like the Presidential candidate of our party today, Waziri Adamawa, that is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Aminu Tambuwal is one of them, the former senate President Olusola Sarki was one of them as they all walked out…saying that the Presidency must come to the North. Of course, President Jonathan who was a sitting president at that time did everything he could do to talk to them to come back to the party. Of course President Jonathan was rebuffed as a sitting President.”
The Rivers state Governor is bitter over how his followers in the PDP Presidential primary election surreptitiously dealt with his 2023 presidential ambition by giving out their votes to Atiku Abubakar who won the election. On his not grabbing the Vice Presidential ticket it also goes to say a lot about the integrity of some of the Southern governors who promised to support a Southern candidate for the 2023 Presidential election.
What is new now in Wike’s political camp is his negotiating powers in turning his supporters across the country to vote for a Presidential candidate that he supports. In this way, he has described himself as that of a pretty girl who men must approach in his own case by other political parties which others see as anti-party activity.
—————————–Emeka Amaefula—————-+234(0)8111813069
