PDP sets up committee to probe bribery allegation against party leadership

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.