About four members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have allegedly returned a total of N122.4 million paid to their accounts by the party’s leadership as house rent.
The NWC members who were reported to have returned the money are the Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja; National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Olasoji Adagunodo; National Vice Chairman (South-South), Chief Dan Orbih and National Women Leader, Prof. Stella Affah-Attoe.
All the four party leaders, wrote letters to inform the national chairman yesterday of the development. While Arapaja reportedly got N36 million, the trio of Adagunodo, Orbih and Effah-Attoe got N28.8 million each.
In a letter addressed to Ayu, Arapaja said he had read a story in a national daily on September 26, 2022, that “NWC members were offered humongous amount of money to keep us silent us over an allegation of financial misappropriation to the tune of N15 billion. This led me to browse through my various alerts and I discovered a transfer of N36,000,000.00 from the party. I have my reservation about this money transferred into my account and for personal reasons wish to return it accordingly. Kindly confirm the receipt of UBA electronic transfer of the money attached herewith.”
Orbih, in his own letter, which was also addressed to Ayu, stated: “My attention has been drawn to a damaging trending story reported in the newspaper titled ‘Disquiet in PDP NWC over N10 billion nomination fees.’ Among several other allegations, it was alleged that members of the NWC were offered N28 million to gloss over scandalous financial misappropriation.
“To my shock and surprise, it has been confirmed to me by my bank that the sum of N28,800,000 has been credited to my account by the party. I hereby notify you of my decision to pay back the money to the party’s account.”
Attoe, in her own letter addressed to the PDP national treasurer, said: “If you may recall, the sum N28,800,000 was paid into my UBA Account Number on September 14, 2022. When I enquired from your office, I was told that the said sum is for two years house rent for me, as a member of the NWC.
“Since the lodgment of the money into my account, | have been inundated with phone calls from party members, friends, family members and the general public, insinuating that the said money has been given as a bribe to bring me and other NWC members on the side of the National Chairman following the crisis between him on one side and the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike on the other side.
“This development has made me very uncomfortable having found myself in such an embarrassing situation, I am hereby refunding to the bank account of our great party at the PDP national secretariat,” she wrote.
