By Gideon Njoku
Senator David Jang has accused the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, of corruption. He said the Chairman corrupted the process which led to the declaration of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as the Party’s Presidential candidate.
Jang, a two-time Governor of Plateau State, who is now a Senator, said Ayu corrupted the process in favour of Atiku.
During the Party’s Presidential Primary held in May in Abuja, Atiku beat Wike to a respectable second place. An aggrieved Wike was further aggravated when Atiku chose Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate, thus dashing Wike’s hope.
But since then, nothing has been the same in the Party. Wike and some of his high profile supporters, known as Team Wike, are baying for the blood of the National Chairman. They insist that Ayu must step down, as Chairman, for a Southerner, because Atiku comes from same North as Ayu.
However, Jang, a member of Team Wike, has finally confirmed what not a few people think is the problem – the defeat of Wike by Atiku.
Speaking in Porthacourt, Rivers State, after Team Wike held a meeting at Wike’s private residence on Wednesday, and agreed to withdraw from the Presidential Campaign Council until the exit of Ayu as Chairman, Jang held the National Chairman responsible for Wike’s defeat in the Presidential Primary.
He said Wike was defeated because Ayu had a meeting, before the Convention, with Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, also a Presidential aspirant, where both men agreed that Tambuwal should step down for Atiku.
Tambuwal had, after addressing the Convention on why delegates should vote for him, came out for a second time, addressed them again, and surprisingly asked his supporters to vote Atiku. It was Tambuwal’s withdrawal from the race in favour of Atiku that Jang and others insist pushed Atiku to victory.
Jang cited as proof Ayu’s ill-advised visit to Tambuwal at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, hours after the Primary, where he hailed Tambuwal as the “hero of the Convention”, and hugged him. “Wike was short-changed by Ayu”, said Jang.
His words: “Here was a referee who now helped one of the sides to score a goal, and then blew a whistle that a goal has 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.” There are fears in the PDP that the stand of Team Wike, if not quickly resolved, would affect the fortunes of the Party at the 2023 Presidential polls. At least, four other State Governors are with Wike. They are: Samuel Ortom, Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia, Seyi Makinde, Oyo and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu. To lose five States, given the powers and influence of Governors during elections is a big deal.
