The alleged financial scandal rocking the National Working Committee, (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has escalated as two chieftains of the party, Senator Olaka Nwogu and Mohammed Jamo, on Friday, renewed calls for the embattled National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu’s resignation following the return of over N120million by some NWC members.
The duo who appeared on Channels Television’s political Programme, Politics Today, noted that the suspicious payment of over N120m ‘Housing Allowance’ made by the leadership of the party into the personal accounts of some NWC members was sufficient grounds for Ayu to step down.
Olaka said, “I’m outraged and embarrassed at this time, my party is not the issue, the National Chairman, is the issue, the NWC is the issue. When Governor Nyesom Wike had his media chat and said the N14bn of the party’s funds is the target, that it is the reason for the dogged determination of Ayu to remain in office.
“Now, what is coming out is that some members of the NWC are seeing less than N1bn of that money just at a time they are beginning to ask questions they are receiving alerts.
“They are saying, at no time did the NWC sit to decide that people should be paid that amount. Whether it is supposed to be a loan, they didn’t apply for it, if it was supposed to be a housing allowance, they have houses in Abuja. Ayu should apologise to the party, Nigerians and resign. “
He noted that the approval limit for the National Chairman of the PDP was N10m while that of the Secretary was N5 million arguing that anything beyond that ought to have gone to the National Executive Committee (NEC).
We lost Obi, and Kwankwaso because of Ayu
Speaking in a similar vein, Jamo challenged the party leadership to come clean by providing evidence of the meeting as well as vouchers approving the payment of the funds in contention to NWC members.
In his words, “The PDP is the main opposition party, the two other political parties were a creation of the incapacity of Mr Iyorchia Ayu as Chairman of PDP.
“Under his watch, we lost Peter Obi, under his watch, we lost Kwankwaso. If he had done well and Obi and Kwankwaso were in PDP, the (2023) election would have been a walkover for us. Ayu should go.”
It would be recalled that the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, on September 23, accused Ayu of collecting N1 billion from a presidential hopeful in Lagos State.
Wike said he was ready to mention the very candidate whom the party’s Chairman received the money from if the need be.
In his words, “Ayu is very corrupt. He cannot deny the fact that he is very corrupt.
“Ayu collected N1 billion from Lagos. He collected 1bn from a presidential candidate and if he denies it, I will name who gave him the money.
“Ayu met one of the presidential candidates and told him he doesn’t think the governors were ready to sponsor the party’s convention and he was given N1 billion.
“That money is not in the party’s coffers. I can tell you the name of the businessmen who were present when he collected the money.”
