by Dolapo Adelana

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, has said Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers and his Ekiti counterpart, Ayodele Fayose are free to leave the party if they chose to, The Punch reports.

According to Sheriff he was ready to move the party forward without funding it with what he called “stolen money from the governors.”

Sheriff, who said this on Saturday through his deputy, Cairo Ojougboh, stated that the party would not defend any of the governors when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission came after them on how they spent state money while in office.

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Recall that on Thursday, Sheriff and members of his team walked out of a reconciliatory meeting called by former President Goodluck Jonathan over disagreements on how the meeting should be conducted.

At the meeting, Sheriff had insisted that he would preside over, deliberations, a position Wike and Fayose with, saying Jonathan should preside since it was a reconciliatory and not a party meeting.

Sheriff on Saturday said the party belonged to the people so he will not be seeking for funds from the governors.

Ojougboh said, “We are moving on with the determination to reposition the party. We are not interested in the funding of the party from the governors. They are free to leave if they want to, especially Wike and Fayose.

“We are also not interested in their money. The party belongs to the people, they will finance it. So, if the governors want to withhold money from the party, they are free. We don’t receive stolen money. They have not been funding us and we are surviving.”

He said the PDP was already planning a nationwide campaign, beginning from the South-East.

“We are starting with Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia states, and then we will move to Cross River State. The party belongs to the people and not to governors who will want to steal people’s money,” he added.

Attempts made to get Fayose’s reaction proved abortive as his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, refused to speak on the matter.