The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, has denied the allegation by the governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike that he collected N1 billion from a presidential aspirant.
Recall that Wike had in a media chat on September 23 in Port Harcourt accused Ayu of collecting N1 billion from a presidential aspirant during the lead up to the party’s presidential primaries that produced Mr. Atiku Abubakar as its standard bearer.
“I’m totally informed. Ayu has the opportunity to challenge me, I will reveal more. Some of the governors can tell you. Will he deny the fact that he collected N1 billion from Lagos? Let him deny it; I will tell him who gave him the money not from the Lagos State Government. The money was given to him in Lagos.
“He met one of the presidential candidates (aspirants) and told him that he’s not sure these governors may want to sponsor the party.
“That money did not enter into the account of the PDP, but we are not attacking Ayu on that basis,” he said
Yesterday (Friday), Wike also alleged during a media chat in Port Harcourt that Ayu collected N100 million from a governor to renovate the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), a subsidiary of the party, and that he turned round to collect the same amount from the party.
He added: “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.”
Reacting to the allegations during a press briefing at the end of a special board of trustees (BoT) meeting at the party’s headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Ayu said at no time did he collect N1 billion from anyone
“This is a meeting of the BoT which I am only a member. As allegations persist, it is an opportunity to clear the air.
“I decided not to respond not to encourage altercations in the party. However, I want to make it clear that at no time did I, as the national chairman of the party, collect any N1 billion from anybody.
“When we came in and the party had funding difficulties, the presidential candidate suggested that we should take a loan from the bank and the owner of that bank is a member of the party. He has even left the party.
“The party never took any loan from anybody. Any money advanced to the party was declared before the national working committee and handed over to the national treasurer. All our accounts are up to date and we promised to publish the accounts at the end of the year,” he said.
On the issue of N100 collected for the renovation of the PDI, Ayu said: “I fully briefed the BoT that one of our governors made a contribution of N100 million for the revival of the PDI, which was housed in a port cabin, and I explained to them that we hired an appropriate place in Asokoro. We have furnished it; renovated it.
“Three days we went there, inspected it and the NWC decided that before commissioning, we should invite the governor in question to come and inspect what we have done with his contribution.
“I am happy that the national secretary of the party has since written a letter to that governor. I or the NWC ever took any money to carry out that renovation. In fact, we have not even exhausted that N100 million by one of the governors.”
Ayu appealed to aggrieved party members not to drag his family members into the party’s affairs.
“The consistent attack on my person since the end of the convention on the 31st of May — I have refrained from reacting as the father of the party. I felt I should encourage reconciliation.
“But where it touches on my personal integrity, or even [when] my family members are brought into play, I appeal to such people to desist from trying to malign my character or bringing my family into party affairs,” he said.
Reconciliation committee recommends Ayu’s resignation after 2023 polls
The reconciliation committee of the BoT yesterday submitted its report to the party, recommending among others, that national chairman should give assurance that he would resign after the 2023 general elections.
According to Punch, the resolution signed by the BoT chairman and former senate president, Mr. Adolphus Wabara, noted that people had been wronged on both sides and prayed the party leaders and people close to desist from making further inflammatory remarks or granting press interviews on the matter.
“The BoT called on all the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum (Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State) to convene a meeting of the forum without further delay; called on all leaders of the party to match words with action, and where commitments are made, to unconditionally fulfill the same.
“(The BoT) urged the national chairman as an eminent leader to give a firm assurance that he will resign his position after the 2023 elections. In the same vein, the BoT chairman has been authorised to offer apologies on behalf of all members who feel maligned or aggrieved by the public statements made by its members nationwide that has sharpened the current division in the party.
“Finally, the BoT will refer some of these recommendations for noting and appropriate action to NEC of the party in due course,” the report stated
In his remarks while submitting the report, Wabara urged party members to make necessary sacrifices for the sake of peace.
“We carried out our assignment with an open mind; 2023 is for the PDP to win or lose. A lot of ego has been hurt on both sides. Our position is advisory and if we are indeed the conscience of the party, then we should be free, fair and courageous. The situation requires a little bit of sacrifice and understanding,” he stated.
Recall that G-5 governors led by Wike with Messrs Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State) have called for the resignation of Ayu as a condition for making peace with the party. Embroil
Internal crisis has engulfed the PDP since its presidential convention in May when Wike expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome.
The rift crisis deepened when the governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, was named the vice-presidential candidate of the party.
Wike had insisted on Ayu’s resignation before he and other aggrieved governors would make peace with the party.
He insists that it is against justice and equity for the party’s national chairman and presidential candidate to come from the same region, which is the north.
He called on Ayu to respect his pledge before the primaries that he would step aside if a northerner emerged as the presidential candidate.
“You have taken presidential candidate; you have taken party chairman; you have also taken the DG (director-general) of the campaign. We are talking about party politics. Decisions are made by the presidential candidate, chairman of the party, and the DG of the campaign.
“They are telling you they told the chairman of the BoT to resign. So, you know there is a problem. You said he should go and resign. You can put pressure on him to resign when his tenure hasn’t come to an end, but you cannot put pressure on the chairman to resign. You think at our level you will deceive us; you’ll tell us stories,” Wike stated.
Yesterday, he said: “We had not done our primaries and a man came out and said if the presidential candidate came from his area, he would quit. Honour it! It is integrity and part of the hallmark of leadership is integrity. If he cannot do that, how can you tell Nigerians that anything the PDP tells you, we will do it?
“You are a party that wants to take over the reins of governance in the country and you don’t have integrity. You are presenting a man, the chairman of the party, who has no integrity. For the country to understand, we should mean what we say.”
