PDP say N122m returned by Orbih, Arapaja, others not bribe, but housing allowances

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied claims that party officials were bribed in the form of housing allowances which were returned by some of them.

Four members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) had returned N122.4 million that had been deposited into their accounts by the organization.

According to the letters sighted by Ripples Nigeria, the funds were deposited into the beneficiaries’ bank accounts as housing allowance.

Amongst the beneficiaries who returned monies were the National Vice Chairman (South), Chief Dan Orbih, the party’s National Vice Chairman (South-West) Olasoji Adagunodo; the Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja; and National Women Leader, Prof. Stella Affah-Attoe.

However, the PDP responded by calling the accusations false in a statement that was signed, on Thursday, by Debo Ologunagba, the party’s national publicity secretary.

According to the PDP, beneficiaries who had gone through the party’s established procedures were properly given their housing allowances.

The statement also said that some beneficiaries’ requests for refunds did not imply that the allowances were given out as bribes.

Ologunagba 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.

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“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).”

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