TheCable

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, and his supporters say they will not participate in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign until Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, resigns.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is the party’s presidential candidate.

The resolution followed a meeting that was held in the early hours of Wednesday.

Reading out the communique after the meeting in Port Harcourt, capital city of Rivers, Bode George, PDP chieftain, said the campaign council list released by the party which has the name of Wike is “putting the cart before horse”.

“The published presidential campaign council list translates to putting the cart before horse, the pertinent issue remains the Ayu leadership,” George said.

“We therefore resolve that senator Iyorchia Ayu resigns as the national chairman for an acting chairman of southern Nigeria extraction.

“We resolved not to participate in the campaign council in whatever capacity until the resignation of Dr Iyorchia Ayu.”

The PDP has been in turmoil since May when Atiku was elected as the standard bearer of the party.

Wike, whom many thought would be chosen as the party’s vice-presidential candidate, was ignored by Atiku who picked Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, as his running mate.

The Rivers governor’s allies, who include Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo; Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue; George, Jerry Gana, former minister of information, are insisting that Ayu must resign as a condition for peace in the party.