PDP crisis lingers as Ayu denies meeting Wike in Port Harcourt

The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lingers on as the National Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu denies ever having any meeting with the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike in Port Harcourt.

Ayu said the picture currently trending showing him in a meeting with Wike is fake and should be disregarded by the public.

He said there was never any meeting between him and Wike in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, or anywhere else in Nigeria this week.

In a press state released to declaim the viral picture, Dr Ayu’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, the PDP Chairman said it’s been a while he traveled to Port Harcourt and “has not set eyes on Governor Wike lately”.

According to the press disclaimer:

“The photograph trending on the social media is an old one. The story accompanying it is, therefore, false and mischievous.

“He also adds, for the purpose of factual accuracy, that he is in no way embattled.

“The National Chairman is, rather, enjoying the New Year break with his family,” he said.

Ayu has cautioned the general public and the larger party family to disregard the story making the rounds.

Wike and his associates (G5 governors) have been campaigning for the resignation of Ayu on the basis that certain actions regarding zoning violates the party’s constitution. They said it is against the constitution for the national chairman to hail from the same geopolitical zone as the presidential candidate.

Ayu is from Benue in the north-central, while Atiku Abubakar, the PDP standard bearer, hails from Adamawa in Nigeria’s north-east.

The G5 governors, also known as Integrity Group, consist of: Nyesom Wike (Rivers State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State ), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), have made it clear that they will not work for Atiku in the 2023 general election.