The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Working Committee (NWC) stated that the money given to its national officers was not a bribe but rather a housing allowance that had been approved through the proper channels.
This information can be found in a statement made on Tuesday night following the party’s NWC meeting in Abuja by the party’s national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba.
Ologunagba claimed that the NWC thoroughly looked into the peculiar report by a specific media that claimed the housing allowance that the Party legitimately gave to its national officers was a bribe at its meeting on Tuesday.
“After a thorough scrutiny of the payment by the party, the NWC in session established that the payment was not a bribe but housing allowance.
“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 in accordance with 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 bribe.
“They affirmed it was their due entitlements in line with the Conditions of service and entitlement of the staff and principal officers of the party,” Ologunagba said.
In light of the foregoing, he continued, the NWC decided to launch a thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the aforementioned publication by the newspaper on September 26.
He claimed that the newspaper article was obviously intended to undermine the party’s members and stakeholders and throw the organization into contempt in front of its throngs of global followers, especially during an election year.
“Consequently, the NWC has set up an Investigative Committee headed by the National Legal Adviser to conduct an inquiry into the source of the said malicious and injurious publication.”
The committee according to Ologunagba has one week to investigate the matter and report back to the NWC for further action.
(NAN)
