Anti-party: Nobody can suspend me from PDP, Wike boasts

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike says nobody can suspend him from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as he continues to lead calls for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu.

Wike made this known in an interaction with some select journalists in Port Harcourt on Friday.

The governor said people who dumped the PDP cannot come around to suspend him from the party.

“Who will suspend me? No problem, look at the problem they are already carrying. What do you think is our job here? Our job here is not only to do projects… I am not saying I am bigger than the party, but those who ran away from the party cannot suspend me from the party.

“I beg them today, they shouldn’t waste time, they should call the National Executive Committee today and say Governor of Rivers State has been suspended from the party. Anything you see, you take, they know what I will do. A child that says his mother won’t sleep will not also sleep. Nobody has monopoly of making problems. I am an asset and very important, that is why other political parties are wooing me,” he said.

Wike said the calls for the resignation of Ayu was to allow for inclusivity in the party after former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar who is from the North as Ayu had emerged as the presidential candidate.

He said Ayu himself had promised to step down as national president if a Northern presidential candidate emerged and wondered why he was reneging on his initial statement.

He also accused Ayu of manipulating the PDP presidential primaries to ensure he doesn’t emerge as the winner, threatening to dump the party if he emerged the flagbearer.

Wike alleged that Ayu called several presidential aspirants to step down for the former vice president during the convention.

“He was calling aspirants to withdraw for Atiku. I was there, Saraki and others were there.

“He manipulated the delegates. There was nothing Ayu did not do to ensure Wike didn’t emerge,” Wike said.

The governor added, “Meetings upon meetings were going. Pressures were being mounted on people to step down.

“Even on the night of the convention meetings were going on. That is why we started our convention late.

“Some of the retired generals were involved. Some of the meetings were held in their houses. There is nothing they didn’t do for me to step down.

“Those who know me, know that I would have stopped the convention, even if heaven falls.”

He alleged that the reason Ayu is insisting on staying in office as national chairman was because he was eyeing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) position.

“Some people have been given positions as we speak. Ayu wants to become the SFG. These are things happening in the party that we can’t say in public,” he added.