Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu,
By SAMUEL ADZEGEH, Abuja –
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu yesterday dismissed allegations of fraud being levelled against him as the mischievous gimmicks of would-be detractors.
Ayu spoke through Mr. Simon Imobo-Tswam, his Special Adviser, Media and Communications.
Imobo-Tswam was responding to allegations of bribery being levelled against the National Chairman by some concerned persons following the return of housing allowances paid into the accounts of some members of the party’s NWC.
Speaking to National Accord Correspondent yesterday however, Imobo-Tswam offhandedly dismissed the fraud allegations with a curt “There’s nothing fraudulent there, just mischief.”
This was just before Ayu returned from a two week trip abroad. His plane touched down at about 7pm Friday evening at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
A confident looking Ayu alighted from the plane and strode to the Arrival Lounge of the Airport to the applause of hundreds of party supporters who had turned up to welcome him.
National Accord recalls that an earlier statement from the party had absolved the National Chairman of any wrong doing. Signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba and released to the press, the statement had similarly dismissed the bribery allegations as “misleading”.
Ologunagba’s statement read in part, “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to misrepresenting reports in a section of the media alluding strange and unfounded motives to the Housing Allowance duly approved and paid to NWC members and staff of the Party
“The NWC has noted that this misleading report stemmed from an unfounded publication by a particular media outlet which (had) suggested that the Housing Allowance, an entitlement duly approved and paid to national officials and staff of the Party amounted to bribery.”
It further stated: “For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP states in an unequivocal terms that no funds were paid into the account of any member of the NWC as bribe for any purpose whatsoever for that matter.”
The statement explained that “the Housing Allowance being referred to went through the Due Process of the Party in line with the Conditions of Service and Entitlement of the Staff and Principal Officers of the Party.”
Therefore, it concluded, “If any individual, for any reason decides to return money duly approved and paid, such does not in any way suggest that the money was paid as bribe or indicate that it was illegitimate or unlawfully paid.”
The statement further clarified that, “A bribe is defined as ‘money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person especially in that person’s performance as a public official…’ This is not the case in the payment of Housing Allowance duly approved for officials and staff of the Party.”
The statement called on the party’s teeming members, supporters as well as the general public to “disregard the report and misleading insinuation which are clearly designed to malign the PDP, cause disaffection and distract our Party from our mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
It can be recalled that Ayu jetted out of the country on September 14. While he was away, the Deputy Chairman (North), Amb. Iliya Damagun, acted in his place and in that capacity, had stood in Ayu’s place at the official inauguration of the party’s Presidential Campaign Committee which took place at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja.
It was learnt that the National Chairman had fully communicated his handover to Damagun to both the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before his departure.
