Wike Reveals Ayu Collected N100m Twice For Single Project

The Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, of fraud saying he collected money twice for a single project and never executed it.

This was as the governor doubled down on his earlier accusation that the PDP chairman collected N1 billion from a presidential aspirant.

Wike made these claims on Friday morning in a live media chat at the Government House Port Harcourt.

He has been leading a band of five governors, who have continued to demand Ayu’s resignation that the party’s national chairman and the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar, cannot come from the same region of the country.

The crisis in the party forced the group of five governors and their supporters to withdraw their support from the presidential candidate despite repeated pleas.

On Wednesday, the governor made a u-turn, saying he had accepted to support the presidential bid of Atiku if only Ayu decides to resign.

But on Friday, he increased the tempo of his attacks on the National Chairman, who has refused to respond to previous fraud allegations saying, “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.”

Speaking on his previous N1 billion fraud allegation against Ayu, Wike said, “There cannot be any comment. He (Ayu) cannot say anything. Look, I am the governor of Rivers state and I don’t just come out to speak.

“Let Ayu say he did not collect N1 billion. In fact, let me also tell you, Ayu collected N100 million naira from a governor that he was going to renovate our democratic institution and then he (Ayu) went back to the PDP NWC and took the same N100 million naira for doing the same work.

“What kind of system is that? I am telling you all these are facts. Let him (Ayu) say no first and I will tell you (those he collected money from).”

He argued that, “A leader must be a man of integrity. And I have realised that people find it hard to have that (integrity) lately. You are presenting a man (Ayu) who lacked integrity as chairman of the party and somebody that wants to lead a campaign to take the reins of government?

“What is the problem with what we are asking of Ayu? We are saying let there be equity, let there be fairness and justice. But if you don’t want it that way then you are the one causing the crisis (in the party) and that shows you (Ayu) doesn’t have leadership skills because this is the time to show it. This is the time to show leadership skills on the part of those who are leaders of the party.”

Explaining how the money returned by some members of the National Working Committee happened, the governor laid the blame on Ayu.

He said, “Of course. Let me tell you how the money came about. When it was discussed at the national working committee, Ayu said everybody should calm down and that Nigerians are interested, and that Nigerians will bring money to the party.

“I don’t want us to go deeper because I feel that we are not pushed to the wall (yet). If we are pushed to the wall, what the people will hear will be something else.”

He threw a challenge saying, “Let them show the minutes of the meeting where it was approved. You made over N14 billion naira (from PDP primaries and sale of forms) and people are saying look, we are going in for an election, ask them about the election that took place in Ekiti, how much did the party spend? Ask them.

“There are people who believe Ayu is my man saying Ayu is protecting me. Look, what can Ayu do to me? What will he do? Can Ayu come and tell Rivers people where or who to vote? He doesn’t have the capacity to do that. So, why am I going to be afraid of him?

“What has Ayu done for me in my life for me to show gratitude? Rather, he should be grateful to me and other people. So, there is no basis for vindictiveness here or when people say you are after him because he is not with you and that is not the issue.

“If you can not honour what your promise is, how can you stand before Nigerians and ask for votes or say anything PDP tells you we will do? when you have not even done the simple one you said.

“And we are trying to help the PDP to remove this burden from us and you are taking Nigerians for granted saying don’t worry all these things (crisis) will die down, die down where?”

Speaking on the prospect of winning the presidential election without him, he boasted that the party cannot win the election without him.

Wike added that, “If I leave the party today, PDP cannot win the election. If the five PDP governors say they are leaving today, we are not just ordinary governors, we are very committed and strong.

“There is nobody that wants to win elections and still continue the way they are doing. I have supported many states financially to win elections in the past, including Plateau, Ondo, Cross Rivers and they cannot deny it”.