The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, on Friday, denied recurring claims by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State that he collected N1bn from a presidential aspirant.
Ayu said he never collected N1bn from anyone and that when he assumed office as the chairman and needed to raise money for the party, former Vice-President and now the party’s presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, suggested that the party should take a loan of N1bn but that after deliberations, the National Working Committee rejected the idea.
He said he refrained from commenting on Wike’s allegations against him to avoid public altercations that could complicate matters for the party.
Recall that Wike had in a media chat on September 23 accused Ayu of collecting N1bn from a presidential aspirant, which according to him, aided the emergence of Atiku as the party’s presidential candidate.
Responding to the governor’s claims during a press briefing at the end of a special Board of Trustees meeting at the party’s headquarters after the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara had submitted the report of his reconciliation committee, Ayu said the consistent attacks on his person were unfortunate.
CR/VO/PUNCH
