‘I have many faults, but stealing is not one of them,’ Ayu reacts to corruption allegation in PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, on Friday, dismissed the corruption allegations threatening to bring down his leadership of the major opposition party.

Ayu, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, spoke when the forum of PDP ex-officio members visited him in Abuja.

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, had last month accused the former Senate President of corruption.

Wike, who spoke with journalists in the Government House in Port Harcourt, said Ayu collected a bribe of N1 billion from one of PDP presidential aspirants and refused to remit the funds to the party’s coffers.

He also threatened to reveal more if the PDP chairman deny the claim.

There were also allegations that Ayu credited the accounts of members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) with certain amounts of money in a bid to retain his position.

Four members of the NWC returned a total sum of N122.5 million to the PDP account last month.

READ ALSO: PDP BoT chairman, Wabara leads members to beg Gov Wike over Ayu

The party, however, said the funds were part of house allowances given to the party executives.

In the statement, Ayu insisted that his leadership of PDP was guided by transparency and accountability.

The PDP chief said he has many faults as a human being, but stealing was not one of them.

The statement read: “The PDP was not founded to be in opposition. We founded the party to access power and develop the country. And my historic task is to return the party to power. I won’t be chairman forever. For now, my preoccupation is to return the party to power. I did not come to steal. My public service record is there.

“I have been a leader of the National Assembly. I have been a minister many times. As a person, I have many faults, but stealing is not one of them. I am conscious of my place in history, and the NWC that I lead is guided by the twin principles of transparency and accountability.

“You may be reading many things and expecting my reaction. If we don’t always talk, it is because we want to maintain and build cohesion in the party. We don’t want continuous altercations in the PDP family. Our eyes are on the big picture — winning the 2023 general elections.”

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