Wike-Atiku Rift: How Ayu Connived to Shortchange Rivers Governor, Top PDP Senator Opens Up

• The office of Iyorchia Ayu, the chairman of the PDP, is the bone of contention in the opposition party at the moment
• Already, a lot of PDP chieftains are insisting that for the party to move forward, Ayu must vacate his seat
• Added to this, Senator Jonah Jang has claimed that Ayu, before the PDP presidential primary, had a private arrangement to shortchange Governor Nyesom Wike

Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are said to be in the camp of Governor Nyesom Wike have started going very verbal about their displeasure over issues in the party.

One of such PDP chieftains, Senator Jonah Jang, on Wednesday, September 21, insisted that for peace and justice to reign, the national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, must vacate his seat.

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Serious allegation against PDP's Ayu

Apart from this demand, Senator Jang alleged that during the PDP's presidential primary that produced Atiku Abubakar as the candidate, Ayu worked with some bigwigs to shortchange other aspirants, prominent among which was Governor Wike.

Jang claimed that Ayu proclaimed Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto (who stepped down for Atiku) as the hero of the primary, Vanguard reports.

For the senator, this move by Ayu means that he had a secret arrangement to shortchange other aspirants.

He alleged:

“For a national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu to go and embrace Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tanbuwal, calling him the hero of the convention meant that there was a private arrangement that was done with Tambuwal to shortchange other contestants including Governor Wike.

“Here was a referee, who helped one of his sides to score a goal and then blew the whistle. This is not what we formed the PDP to do for Nigerians. Therefore, we unequivocally ask that Ayu must step down.”

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Wike's group pulls out of Atiku's campaign

Recall that Wike's team in the PDP had pulled out of the campaign council of the party’s presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

Rising from their stormy meeting in Port Harcourt early morning on Wednesday, September 21, members of the team vowed not to partake in Atiku’s campaign activities pending the resignation of Ayu.

The party members sympathetic to Wike insisted that there would be no deal with Atiku until Ayu vacated his office to allow an acting chairman from the south to lead the campaign of Atiku.

Source: Legit.ng