The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, on Friday broke his silence on the return of N122million bribes dubbed as housing allowance removed from the party’s coffers and paid to some National Working Committee (NWC) members.
Ayu claimed that the NWC unanimously agreed on the allowance adding that reports that the money was a bribe or an illegal payment as being alleged by some persons were false.
ANN had last week reported that the return of N122 million by the PDP Deputy National Chairman (South South), Chief Dan Orbih; National Vice Chairman (South West) and National Women Leader, Prof. Stella Affah-Attoe, allegedly sent to them by the PDP National Working Committee as bribes stirred up fresh controversies.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, Ayu said his mission was to return the party to power and that he wasn’t after the finances of the party.
He spoke while welcoming the Forum of Elected Ex-Officio Members of the party who paid him a solidarity visit at the party’s headquarters.
“The PDP was not founded to be in opposition. We founded the party to access power and develop the country and my historic task is to return the party to power. I won’t be chairman forever. For now, my preoccupation is to return the party to power. I did not come to steal. My public service record is there.
“I have been a leader of the National Assembly. I have been a minister many times. As a person, I have many faults, but stealing is not one of them. I am conscious of my place in history, and the NWC that I lead is guided by the twin-principles of transparency and accountability.”
The chairman said he deliberately didn’t respond to things said about him in the media because his focus was on winning the 2023 general elections.
Ayu added, “You may be reading many things and expecting my reaction. If we don’t always talk, it is because we want to maintain and build cohesion in the party. We don’t want continuous altercations in the PDP family. Our eyes are on the big picture, which is winning the 2023 general elections.
“Therefore, let us not lose focus. Let us keep our eyes glued to the big picture. Everything else is secondary. We took office because there was a crisis in the party and we don’t want to keep moving from crisis to crisis. It’s not good for the party. We can’t be in perpetual crisis, especially where the crisis is artificial.”
Speaking on the party’s finances, Ayu stated that he had instructed the Finance Department to maintain and update the party’s statement of income and expenditure for presentation to the party’s National Executive Committee at the first-year anniversary of the present NWC in December.
