The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has told his counterpart from Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, that the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, must resign for peace to return to the opposition party.
Our correspondent report that the Rivers State Governor made this known when Governor Fintiri of Adamawa State, was reportedly sent by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, visited him in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday.
It was however gathered that Atiku Abubakar has refused to give in to Wike’s demands easily, despite party leaders mounting pressure on Ayu to step down.
The meeting between Wike and Fintiri, which was held behind closed doors, was to find a resolution to the feud between the two leaders.
Sources said that the Rivers governor vowed not to “attend any meeting with Atiku, with Ayu as party chairman,” stressing that even without his insistence on Ayu’s resignation, honour, dignity, and sincerity should make the PDP chairman step down based on his promise to do so once a northerner emerged as a presidential candidate.
“Yes, Wike may be angry with Ayu for allegedly stopping him at the convention and again as running mate, but the real issue now is the burden of honour that is on Ayu’s head. He promised at Eagle Square that he would resign once a Northerner emerges as a presidential candidate,” the source said.
The source continued, “Ayu is being told that he can make the sacrifice (resignation) himself because that was a promise he made. There is a difference between a Northern candidate emerging and a president emerging. The burden of integrity is on him.”
