The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has constituted a
committee to investigate allegations of financial misappropriation by the
party’s leadership.
There have been recent reports alleging concerns over
misappropriation of funds realised from sale of the party’s nomination forms.
The allegations came amid the crisis rocking PDP over the
insistence of allies of Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, for Iyorchia Ayu to
resign as the party’s national chairman.
Amid the controversy, some PDP NWC members had recently
returned money reportedly credited to their bank accounts by the party
leadership.
Stella Effah-Attoe, national women leader; Dan Orbih,
national vice-chairman (south-south); and Taofeek Arapaja, deputy national
chairman (south) are among the NWC members who said they have returned money to
the party’s account.
The NWC members had also said the party’s leadership
informed them that the money is for their house allowance.
Reacting to the development in a statement issued on Tuesday
by Debo Ologunagba, its spokesperson, the PDP said the money given to the NWC
members was not a “bribe but housing allowance duly approved by the party’s
national officers”.
“After a thorough
scrutiny of the payment by the Party, the NWC in session established that the
payment was not a bribe but housing allowance duly approved and paid to national
officers of the Party in line with the conditions of service and entitlement of
the staff and principal officers of the party,” the statement reads.
“The NWC also established that the payment passed through
due process procedures of the party in accordance with all extant financial
regulations and payment approval processes of the Party.
“It is also instructive to state that the national officers
who returned their housing allowances equally confirmed and affirmed at the
meeting that the payment was not bribe but their due entitlements in line with
the conditions of service and entitlement of the staff and principal officers
of the party.”
According to the statement, the bribery allegation “was
clearly targeted to cause disaffection among members and stakeholders of the
party as well as bring the party to disrepute before our teeming supporters all
over the world particularly in an election year”.
The party added that it had set up “an investigative
committee headed by the national legal adviser to conduct an inquiry” into the
source of the allegation, with the committee’s report expected in a week.
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