Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State on Friday opened up on how PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu collected N1 billion from a presidential candidate at the PDP Presidential Primary.
He made this allegation during a media chat on Friday in Port-Harcourt.
He said, “Ayu is very corrupt. He cannot deny the fact that he is very corrupt.
“Ayu collected N1 billion from Lagos. He collected 1bn from a presidential candidate and if he denies it, I will name who gave him the money.
“Ayu met one of the presidential candidates and told him he doesn’t think the governors were ready to sponsor the party’s convention and he was given N1 billion.
“That money is not in the party’s coffers. I can tell you the name of the businessmen who were present when he collected the money.
“He was calling aspirants to withdraw for Atiku. I was there, (Bukola) Saraki and others were there.”
He further revealed that Ayu manipulated the primary election to favour Atiku by asking all presidential aspirants to step down for the former vice president.
“He manipulated the delegates. There was nothing Ayu did not do to ensure Wike didn’t emerge,” Wike said.
The governor lost to Atiku in a primary election that has been tagged “dollarized” in the light of the manner by which votes were bought from delegates with dollars.
The party has been enmeshed in crisis since the primary with Wike’s camp in in resolute insistence that Ayu must resign for a Southerner to replace him.