The aggrieved governors of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, led by the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and three of his allies, Samuel Ortom of Benue, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Seyi Makinde of Oyo on Friday night left Nigeria for a meeting in Spain.
It was gathered that the governors championed left Government House, Port Harcourt with his team to Port Harcourt International Airport late Friday night.
It was learned that the governor of Enugu State would join the team in Madrid.
The aggrieved governors are expected to discuss and take final decision on the way forward on the PDP crisis in Madrid.
The Wike camp is calling for the resignation of the National chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, as condition for their support for the PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
They are insisting that since the Presidential Candidate us from the North, the National Chairman should come from the South.
Since the trouble in the party started, the aggrieved governors have been flying to Europe to discuss internal party crisis.
Recall that the governors had met in London in August, where they insisted on Ayu’s resignation during a meeting with Atiku held at The Carlton Tower Jumeirah Hotel.
Wike had been on edge since loosing to Atiku and Okowa in both the PDP primaries and running mate selections, a development that has injured his relationship with the party.
The Rivers State Governor had severally accused Ayu of allegedly collected N1 billion bribe from an unnamed presidential candidate and businessman in Lagos State.
The Rivers governor, on Friday, alleged fresh corruption against Ayu.
In several media chats, at the Port Harcourt, the Government House, Wike stated that “If people know what we know, if we release what we have, Ayu’s children will go to him and say we are no longer your children.
“Let Ayu say he did not collect N1 billion. In fact, let me also tell you, Ayu collected N100 million from a governor that he was going to renovate our democratic institution and then he (Ayu) went back to the PDP NWC and took the same N100 million for doing the same work.”
On Friday, Ayu said in Abuja that Wike lied against him adding that he didn’t collect N2billion bribe.
But he accepted receiving N100 million from a sitting governor but explained that he “fully briefed the BoT that one of our governors made a contribution of N100 million for the revival of the PDI Peoples Democratic Institute”.
“I decided not to respond not to encourage altercations in the party. However, I want to make it clear that at no time did I, as the national chairman of the party, collect any N1 billion from anybody.
“When we came in and the party had funding difficulties, the presidential candidate suggested that we should take a loan from the bank and the owner of that bank is a member of the party. He has even left the party.
“The party never took any loan from anybody. Any money advanced to the party was declared before the NWC and handed over to the national treasurer. All our accounts are up to date and we promised to publish the accounts at the end of the year.” He stated
