PDP Crisis Arising from Convention: NWC members return over N90m alleged Wike ‘bribe’; Party denies complicity

Six members of the National Working Committee of the party have returned huge sums of money paid into their accounts in “the guise of house rents” due to them.

This is as the crisis rocking the People’s Democratic Party over the removal of the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, took a turn for the worse.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied that it paid bribes to some members of its National Working Committee (NWC) to support its embattled National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

In a statement by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party maintained that the money was duly approved as housing allowance, and urged all members, teeming supporters, and the general public to disregard the report and misleading insinuations which are clearly designed to malign the party and cause disaffection.

Those that have returned the alleged bribe paid to them from the “proceeds of the N10bn sale of nomination forms” include the Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja, who refunded N36m to the party’s account; National Vice Chairman South-South, Dan Orbih (N28m); National Woman Leader, Stella Effah-Attoe (N28m); National Vice Chairman South-East, Alli Odefa (N28m); National Vice Chairman South-West, Olasoji Adagunobi-Oluwatukesi (N28m) and Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo (N28m).

In separate letters to the PDP, the NWC members say the monies had been paid into their account without their knowledge.

PDP had fixed its presidential nomination form and expression of interest forms for N40 million, governorship N21 million, Senate N3.5 million, House of Representatives N2.5 million, and House of Assembly N600, 000 respectively.

This backtracking is not unconnected to Governor Nyesom Wike’s outburst about bribery prior to the party’s national convention which according to him compromised the outcome of the exercise.

Specifically, the Rivers State Governor had accused Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of receiving N1 billion from one of the presidential hopefuls prior to the convention.

He said Ayu is corrupt, and that the chairman cannot deny that he received the money but refused to remit it to the party’s account.

“Ayu is very corrupt. I’m totally informed. Ayu has the opportunity to challenge me, I will name,” he said.

“Some of the governors can tell you. Will he deny the fact that he didn’t collect N1 billion from Lagos? Let him deny it, I will tell him who gave him the money not from the Lagos state government, the money was given to him in Lagos.

“He met one of the presidential candidates and told him that he’s not sure these governors may want to sponsor the party.

“That money did not enter into the account of PDP, but we are not attacking Ayu on that basis.”