Barely 24 hours after the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, tongue-lashed Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, for calling for his resignation and dismissing him as a child, Wike has retorted, tagging Ayu as an ingrate.

Wike spoke on Thursday blasting Ayu for his display of “ingratitude” and “arrogance” after he was assisted to get the seat of the national chairmanship of the party.

“These children you said we are, brought you from nothing,” Wike said during the commissioning of Omerelu Internal roads in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.

Wike challenged Ayu to show himself as a man of honour and integrity by fulfilling his promise that he would vacate the chairmanship seat if the northern region produces the presidential candidate of the party.

Dismissing Ayu as a man of no integrity, Wike said: “Somebody said those of you who said the right thing must be done are boys; they are children. You can imagine what power can do. You can imagine how the ingratitude; how people can be ingrates.

“I thought as a chairman of a party who wants to win the election, your business is to bring peace to the party; your business is not to divide your party, your business is not to show arrogance.

“Dr Ayu said we are children. Yes, the children brought you to be chairman of the party, the children brought you from the gutter to make you chairman.

“Ayu, you were impeached as Senate President, Ayu you were sacked by (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo in his administration two times. Arrogance cannot take you anywhere.”

He also said the N14bn PDP realised from the sale of forms for the party’s primaries last May must be judiciously used.