PDP NWC Defends Payments To Members, Probes ‘Malicious Publication’

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the ‘housing allowance’ paid to its members passed through due process.

In a statement after the party’s meeting on Tuesday in Abuja, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said ‘housing allowance’ was legally paid to NWC members and not a “bribe” as alleged in a newspaper report.

Four members of the NWC had returned about N122.4 million to the party, saying the monies had been paid into their account to keep mum over some billions of naira belonging to the party.

The NWC members who returned the money are the National Vice Chairman (South-West) Olasoji Adagunodo; the Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja; National Vice Chairman (South), Dan Orbih; and National Women Leader, Stella Affah-Attoe.

However, the NWC led by Iyorchia Ayu insisted that the monies were “duly approved” as “housing allowance”.

The statement partly read, “After 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 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.

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“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.”

The NWC also set up an investigative committee to conduct an inquiry into “the source of the said malicious and injurious publication contained in The Nation Newspaper of September 26, 2022”.

“The Committee has one week to investigate the matter and report back to the NWC for further action,” the party said.