Wike Makes Fresh Allegation Against Ayu On N100m Contracts

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has made a fresh allegation against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, on arrival from a two-day visit to Spain.

Wike arrived Nigeria in the early hours of Monday in company with Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Orto of Benue, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia.

The southern governors, who belong to the bloc of the party calling for Ayu’s removal as chairman, had travelled to the European country to hold a ‘strategic meeting’.

Days before departing the country, Governor Wike had accused Ayu of receiving double pay of N100 million for a single project.

According to the Rivers governor, Ayu allegedly failed to declare one of the payments of N100 million donated toward the renovation of the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) by a governor of the party.

He also reiterated his earlier claim that the party’s chairman fraudulently took N1 billion from a presidential candidate in Lagos State.

Ayu, in response, denied concealing the N100 million from members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

But speaking on arrival from Spain, Wike dared Ayu to prove that he told the PDP NWC members about the donation while also accusing him of giving the renovation contracts to his son.

“Ask him about the contracts that are going on at the Peoples Democratic Institute and Wadata Plaza, who is doing that contract? Is it not one of his sons?

“Let him show the minutes of the NWC meeting where he said a governor has contributed N100 million (to the projects). Let him show the accounts to reflect this N100 million. I thought he would have told the world (that the) NWC was aware. Then he now said Oh, he told the BoT Chairman and one of the governors. Who tells you that?”

Wike further weighed in on the controversy trailing a statement made at the weekend by PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, asking northerners to reject presidential candidates of Igbo or Yoruba ethnic extractions in the 2023 election.

“I don’t know why those who are packaging the presidential candidate would allow him to make such a statement.

“As a party, we need to apologize to Nigerians, assuming it was made, but people are denying that it was not made. But you’ve watched the video and you saw that he spoke,” he said.