National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Iyorchia Ayu is in hot soup.
Recall that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State had before now accused Ayu of receiving N1 billion from the party presidential hopeful.
For those who don’t know, this is what Wike said; “Ayu is very corrupt. I’m totally informed. Ayu has the opportunity to challenge me, I will name the person.”
“Some of the governors can tell you. Will he deny the fact that he didn’t collect N1 billion from Lagos? Let him deny it, I will tell him who gave him the money not from the Lagos State Government, the money was given to him in Lagos.”
“He met one of the presidential candidates and told him that he’s not sure these governors may want to sponsor the party.”
“That money did not enter into the account of PDP, but we are not attacking Ayu on that basis.”
However, event took another dimension on Thursday, September 29th, 2022 as about four members of the Ayu-led National Working Committee (NWC) who rejected a suspicious money paid into their accounts returned it.
The money said to be totalling over N122 million was returned to the PDP account, with each of the recipients dropping a note for the party chairman (Ayu).
The party’s National Vice Chairman (South-West), Olasoji Adagunodo, Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja; National Vice Chairman (South), Chief Dan Orbih and National Women Leader, Prof. Stella Affah-Attoe, we gathered were among those that returned the money.
According to details in their letters, Taofeek Arapaja got N36 million, while Adagunodo, Orbih and Effah-Attoe got N28.8 million respectively.
Be that as it may, Orbih in the letter he addressed to Ayu, said; “My attention has been drawn to a damaging trending story reported in The Nation Newspaper by Yusuf Alli on September 26, 2022 titled ‘Disquiet in PDP NW over N10 billion nomination fees.’ Amongst several other allegations, he 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. (Twenty eight million eight hundred thousand Naira) 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.”
“Kindly confirm receipt of Zenith Bank Manager’s cheques of: N10,000,000, N10,000,000, N8,800,000 TOTAL = N28,800,000 to the Party’s account. A/C: 1000095003, Globus Bank PLC.”
We also gathered that other members of the NWC wrote similar letters to Ayu, indicating their rejection of the said fund.
According to Effah-Attoe; “I was told the money was meant for my two-year rent. Phone calls from party members, friends, family members and the general public, were suggestive that the money was 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, H.E Governor Nyesom Wike/Wike’s Group on the other side.”