Afegbua an ‘inconsequential blackmailer’, PDP responds to petition it made N10bn via sale of forms

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has refuted claims that it accrued the amount of N10 billion from the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms in 2019.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that this was sequel to a petition filed against the PDP by Kazeem Afegbua, a member of the party, at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for a probe of the party’s accounts.

However, this allegation was denied via a statement issued on Monday, at a news briefing by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan.

Ologbodiyan described Afegbua’s claim as spurious and irresponsible, adding, that the party would not in any way, be distracted by an “inconsequential blackmailer hired to mudsling the party and its leadership, in order to divert attention from the salient issues in the country.”

Ologbondiyan said that the PDP generated N4.6 billion, and raised a budget for its expenditure, in line with all its known financial regulations.

“The PDP did not raise Afegbua’s fictitious sum of N10 billion as alleged by him.

‘“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP generated the sum of N4.6 billion and raised a budget for its expenditure, in line with all known financial regulations of our party.

“This budget passed through the organs of our party and received the approvals from the NWC, the Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees, as well as other organs of the party.

“As a law-abiding political party that respects the doctrine of rule of law and transparency, the budget was presented to the National Executive Committee (NEC), where it also received final approval.

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“It is imperative to state that all the sums received and budgeted for, passed through the due process of approval by the necessary organs of the party.

“Moreover, the PDP has no account under the name or guise of Afegbua’s ghostly Morufu Nigeria Limited,” Ologbondiyan said.

Furthermore, the spokesman disclosed that the PDP had since submitted its audited account of financial expenditures to the INEC for 2019, in line with statutory requirements of the law.

The publicity secretary further explained that the party would not in any way, be distracted by an “inconsequential blackmailer hired to mudsling the party and its leadership, in order to divert attention from the salient issues in the country.”

“For the benefit of unsuspecting members of the public, the activities of a certain Afegbua have always been suspicious, and we urge Nigerians to be wary of such characters and their backers,” Ologbondiyan said.

Afegbua, in his petition, had alleged that much of the financial transactions of the PDP under Secondus had been shrouded in mystery, a claim that also been repeated by other party members.

He had also accused the leadership of a deliberate attempt to shortchange the party in the build-up to the 2023 General Elections.

Secondus and his team.have been.in the eye of the storm of recent, as many party faithfuls have continued to call for his removal.

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