Ahead of Thursday’s break or mar meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC), Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday, upped the ante in his faceoff with the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, when he vowed to fight to end over-concentration of critical positions to the North.

He vowed not to leave his battle in PDP to God, as God has given him the wherewithal to crush his enemies in the party, insisting that he had the capacity to flog his opponents, whom he described as small boys, saying he won’t wait to “flog them with pepper.”

Wike, who spoke while inaugurating the Osisioma Flyover built in Aba, by Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, said efforts by some of his party leaders to break his ranks and infiltrate his team to weaken their resolve would end in futility.

According to the Rivers governor, PDP had distributed positions to its presidential flag-bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and former Senate President Bukola Saraki, but had nothing to offer Abia.

He said: “All those they are fighting are those who are projecting their party. They said Abia governor is a boy, Wike is a boy, Seyi (Makinde) is a boy, (Samuel) Ortom is a boy and Enugu governor is a boy, see what the boys are doing. They that are men should show us what they are doing.”

Responding when Ikpeazu suggested he should leave matters to God, he said: “I was on plane with him and we were discussing and he said, why won’t I leave this thing for God and I said what do you mean by that?

“Why are you overcrowding God? God has given me what it takes for me to crush these people, for me to crush my enemies and you are telling me I should leave it for God. No. God has so many things to do.

“Now that I know I have the capacity to flog these small boys and you want me to go and leave it for God. I am going to flog them pepper.”

The host governor, Ikpeazu, said 2023 elections would be about legacies and competencies, not mere politicking and promises.

Ikpeazu, who said he had shamed his critics with the inauguration of the Osisioma flyover and roads in Aba, said he would not allow any politician to use posters on his completed projects.

The flyover named ‘Okezuo Abia Flyover’ was initiated to ease traffic on the Osisioma junction, known for its traffic bottlenecks.

He said: “This is the time of politics. If you want to contest an election in Abia, you must show us what you’ve done before. Don’t paste posters on my flyover, streetlight and projects. Place your posters on your projects, not on my own projects.”

According to the governor, he invited Wike to inaugurate the projects, because he is the father of flyovers in Nigeria and understands the value of an interchange.

Meanwhile, there are fears that the Thursday NEC meeting of the party may not hold as it was gathered that the forum of PDP governors and Board of Trustees (BoT) are sharply divided over plans to replace Ayu with a Southerner. There are indications that the governors and other stakeholders pushing for Ayu’s removal may boycott NEC if they are not assured of his exit.

According to a source, Governors Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu); Ikpeazu; Bala Mohammed (Bauchi) and Ortom (Benue) have lined up behind Wike to insist that Ayu must go while Governors Okowa (Delta); Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom); Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Douye Diri (Bayelsa) queued behind Atiku, while Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku, has not taken a position yet.

Chairman of BoT, Walid Jubrin, as well as BoT life member, Chief Bode George, also supported the motion that Ayu should step down for a Southerner.

Efforts at reconciling the pro and anti-Ayu forces by Atiku broke down last week after Ayu described the governors opposed to his stay as ‘children’, who were not part of the formation of the party.

Wike jetted out to London at the weekend in company of his allied governors to explore other options ahead of the election. It was also learnt that Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Iyiola Omisore, met with Wike to explore areas of collaboration.

BUT in a sudden twist, a source disclosed that Wike’s support base is getting weak as some governors are looking at other options out of the crises so as not to affect chances of the party in the general elections.

Ikpeazu had at the weekend affirmed that he will not leave the party, explaining that his alliance with Wike was to negotiate better deal for the Southeast.

However, the outcome of the NWC, Caucus and BoT meetings lined up from today (Tuesday) will determine if the NEC will hold and campaign council members ratified.