A former Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu of shortchanging Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.
Jang in a video culled from Channels TV on Wednesday said Ayu had a “private arrangement” with the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal to double-deal Wike during the party convention.
Tambuwal, who has been named as the director general of the PDP standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign committee, was one of the party’s presidential aspirants.
He, however, made a last-minute withdrawal and urged his supporters to vote for the former vice president, Atiku, at the convention.
Buoyed by the withdrawal, Atiku defeated Governor Wike and other aspirants to emerge as the party presidential candidate.
Hours after the convention, Ayu visited the Sokoto governor at his Abuja residence, apparently to thank him for stepping down for Atiku.
Ayu praised Tambuwal after meeting that he was the hero of the convention, a statement that generated controversy in the party.
Wike who lost both the president and vice presidential ticket of the party had kicked against Ayu, asking him to resign in line with the party’s constitution.
The Rivers State Governor had accused the party national chairman of working for Atiku and kicking against fairness and equity.
Taking the call for Ayu’s resignation further, Wike and his team held a meeting in Port Harcourt where Wike’s camp withdrew from the Atiku’s camping council.
Speaking after the meeting of the Wike-led group in Port Harcourt, Jang who also joined the call for Ayu’s resignation described him as a “referee” who helped one of the sides to score a goal and blow the whistle afterwards.
“For the National Chairman, Ayu, to go and embrace Aminu Tambuwal, calling him the hero of the convention which means there was a private arrangement that was done with Tambuwal to shortchange other contestants, including Governor Nyesom Wike.
“Here was a referee who now helped one of the sides to score a goal and then blew a whistle that a goal had been scored. This is not what we formed the PDP to do for Nigerians and therefore we unequivocally ask that Ayu has to step down,” Jang said.
