Governor Nyesom Wike says the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cannot suspend him over the continued crisis bedeviling the opposition.
Mr Wike and his allies are demanding the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, national chairman of the party, for unprofessional conducts which he said included campaigning for Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president who eventually won the presidential primary in May.
They are also hinging their demand on the vow of Mr Ayu to step down should the Northern region where he hails from produce the presidential candidate of the PDP and the perceived lopsidedness where the presidential candidate, national chairman and director-general of campaign council are all from the same region.
The resignation of Walid Jibrin as chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) has not assuage the aggrieved camp who said the position is that of an advisory than that of decision-making which the afro-mentioned trio are instrumental to.
The national chairman has remained defiant, refusing to fulfill the promise he made while seeking the position he now occupies.
When asked if the crisis will not lead to his suspension during a media chat on Friday, Mr Wike who acknowledged no being bigger than the party said those who caused the defeat of the then ruling party in 2015 and ran away, cannot stage a comeback and suspend him who have been therein thick and thin.
“Who will suspend me?” the governor queried. “What do you think is my job here?
“I’m not saying I’m bigger than the party but those who ran away from the party cannot suspend me from the party. I beg them, today, today, they should come and suspend me. Anything they see, they will take,” he dared.
The Rivers State helmsman said Mr Ayu and his henchmen all have vested interest and have already allotted positions they intend to occupy to themselves if the PDP returns to power.
“Ayu wants to be in power so that when PDP wins he can be a secretary to the federation. The same thing for Saraki. They have already shared the positions.”
While claiming that Mr Abubakar surrounded himself with politicians without electoral value including those from Edo State, he said the arrogance of the party indicates it is not trustworthy and not out to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
“We have not won election we are too arrogant, we have not won election and we are telling Nigerians look you cannot trust us, we say one thing and we do a different thing,” Wike asserted. “No party that is ready to take power from APC can be arrogant like this.
“PDP must show Nigeria that we have integrity, [and we’re] trustworthy and the only way Nigeria can take this is if Ayu resigns and the position goes to the south,” he added.
He also revealed why candidates of the APC and Labour Party (LP) Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi are respectively wooing him to their side, despite his resolution not to leave the PDP.
“Who does not want to win in Rivers? That’s why so many parties are speaking with me. If you’re an asset, everybody wants to speak with you.”
