PDP sets up committee to investigate alleged bribery, refund by NWC members

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a committee to investigate allegations that some of its members were being bribed to cover fraud.

This was disclosed in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Olugunagba after an emergency NWC meeting on Tuesday.

WesternPost had reported that some members of the NWC led by Deputy National Chairman South, Taofeek Arapaja returned some money paid into their account to the party.

Responding, Olugunagba said the money was housing allowance paid to all members of the NWC which followed the proper procedure.

According to him, the party decided to set up the investigative committee led by National Legal Adviser to investigate the bribery allegations.

“The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party at its meeting on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, thoroughly examined the strange publication by a particular newspaper which reported that the housing allowance legally paid by the party to its national officers was a bribe.

“After thorough scrutiny of the payment by the party, the NWC in the session established that the payment was not a bribe but housing allowance duly approved and paid to national officers of the party in line with the conditions of service and entitlement of the staff and principal officers of the party.

“The NWC also established that the payment passed through due process procedures of the party by all extant financial regulations and payment approval processes of the party.

“It is also instructive to state that the national officers who returned their housing allowances equally confirmed and affirmed at the meeting that the payment was not a bribe but their due entitlements in line with the conditions of service and entitlement of the staff and principal officers of the party.

“The NWC resolved to conduct an extensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the said publication in The Nation newspaper of September 26, 2022, which was targeted to cause disaffection among members and stakeholders of the party as well as bring the party to disrepute before our teeming supporters all over the world, particularly in an election year.

“Consequently, the NWC has set up an investigative committee headed by the National Legal Adviser Kamaludeen Ajibade, SAN to conduct an inquiry into the source of the said malicious and injurious publication contained in The Nation newspaper of September 26, 2022.”