PRESS STATEMENT
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Akwa Ibom State, Effiong Etim has called on the National Executive Council (NEC) to urgently call a meeting to ratify the suspension of the four National working committee members involved in the publicity charade to bring the Party to disrepute.
A few days ago, a quartet that comprised of the Professor Stella Effa-Attoe (national Women Leader) and three Deputy National Chairmen: Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja (South), Hon. Olasoji Adagunodo (Southwest), and Chief Dan Osi Orbih (Southsouth), had made viral publications on the Party’s letterhead paper dissociating themselves from a decision earlier approved by the NWC that cut across senior and junior cadres of staff to receive certain allowances due to them.
The chieftain urged the party’s NEC to suspend indefinitely the mentioned members for their attempt to smear the hardworking members of party, at a time when every well-meaning Nigeria is praying for the party to overcome its challenges and focus on the task of rescuing and rebuilding the country.
“What this people did is not transparency but wickedness because the housing allowance in question was approved by the NWC and given to even junior staff. Are you telling me that NWC will approve bribe and be so open about it? It was their entitlement and not bribe as they are trying to portray.”, he said.
He quoted an official rebuttal statement of the Bribery Allegations by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, where he said:
“The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to misrepresenting reports in a section of the media alluding strange and unfounded motives to the Housing Allowance duly approved and paid to NWC members and staff of the Party.
The NWC has noted that this misleading report stemmed from an unfounded publication by a particular media outlet which suggested that the Housing Allowance, an entitlement duly approved and paid to national officials and staff of the Party amounted to bribery.
For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP states in an unequivocal term that no funds were paid into the account of any member of the NWC as bribe for any purpose whatsoever for that matter.
To set the record straight, the Housing Allowance being referred to went through the Due Process of the Party in line with the Conditions of Service and Entitlement of the Staff and Principal Officers of the Party.
If any individual, for any reason decides to return money duly approved and paid, such does not in any way suggest that the money was paid as bribe or indicate that it was illegitimate or unlawfully paid.
A bribe is defined as “money or any other valuable consideration given or promised with a view to corrupting the behavior of a person especially in that person’s performance as a public official…”. This is not the case in the payment of Housing Allowance duly approved for officials and staff of the Party.
The PDP therefore urges all members, teeming supporters and the general public to disregard the report and misleading insinuation which are clearly designed to malign the PDP, cause disaffection and distract our Party from our mission to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
Chief Effiong therefore, asked the NEC to do needful and suspend the “publicity hungry” quartet, to save the party from further embarrassment from people who are determined to distract the party with defamatory and even libelous claims”, he said.