An alleged huge financial scam is currently rocking the main opposition ,People’s Democratic Party(PDP) over curious cash logments into personal accounts of key members of its National Working Committee (NWC).
The controversial payments,which run to hundreds of millions Naira had been variously tagged as rent stipends / housing allowances to the affected national officers of the party.
The protest was mainly from the aggrieved camp of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, which has been calling for the sack of the national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.
Recall that there was disquiet in the party following the protest by some stakeholders over the alleged structural imbalance and lopsidedness in the distribution of key positions and lack of transparency in the finances. In fact some officers had demanded explanation on the whereabouts of over N10billion realised from the sales of party’s Nomination and Expression of interest forms.
Wike had also accused the embattled PDP chairman of pocketing a whopping N1billion party fund .
Interestingly, those who have so far returned their emergency stipends were the Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja (N36million); National Vice Chairman (Southwest) Olusoji Adagunodo (N28,800,000); National Woman Leader Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe (N28,800,000); and National Chairman, Southsouth, Chief Dan Orbih (N28,800,000).
Deputy National Chairman (South), Arapaja said in a correspondence to Ayu in September 29, 2022 letter that he decided to return his share of N36million because he did not know what it was meant for.
He said he read an alleged “malicious story” that members of the NWC were “offered humongous amount of money to silent(sic) us over an allegation of financial misappropriation to the tune of N15billion.”He said: “This led me to browse through my various alerts and I discovered a transfer of N36million from the party.
“I have my reservation about this money transferred into my account and for personal reasons wish to return it accordingly.”