Chief Dan Orbih, the PDP National Vice Chairman (South-South), had reacted to the return of N122.4 million paid into the accounts of its National Working Committee members by its national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, and rubbished the claims that the loan was duly approved after an NWC meeting.
Recall that Truthlivr.net had reported that no fewer than four members of the NWC got over N100m paid into their accounts after the party’s primaries.
The money was said to be part of the over N10bn realized by the party from nomination fees paid by aspirants.
Orbih is one of the four members of the NWC that returned the money. Other NWC members who returned the money were the National Vice Chairman (South-West), Olasoji Adagunodo; Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja and National Women Leader, Prof. Stella Affah-Attoe.
When Truthlive.net contacted the former Edo state PDP chairman to get his reaction to the publication by ThisDay news that approval was given for the returned ‘housing loan’, Chief Orbih said, “People have challenged them to publish the minutes of the “mysterious meeting” where approval was given, I did not attend such a meeting if it ever happened, in any case, they should release the minutes of the meeting for the whole world to see”
According to Orbih, “I have been living in my Asokoro Abuja residence since 2007, and I don’t understand why anyone should say he is paying me housing allowance when I did not make any request. I have lived in my personal residence even before I became the party chairman in my state, Chief Orbih told Truthlive.net correspondent in a telephone interview.
Echoing a similar thing in an interview with The Punch Newspaper, Orbih also called on Ayu to defend himself from the allegation.
He said, “I don’t want to talk about Ayu. I speak for myself. I have done what I feel is needful. I have given reasons for doing what I have done. Let every man carry the full weight of his problem. Ayu should speak for himself. He is an adult. It was very clear in my letter.
“If it is in a civilised society, people should be praising and commending us for what we have done. Instead, they will be asking them questions to make them justify what they did. It is wrong.
“They, first of all, said it was a loan. I asked where is my loan application. And if it is a loan, where is the repayment plan by me, signed between me and the party? And I asked the third question, when has PDP turned into a bank that gives loans to people?
“That was how they ran away from there and started saying it is accommodation allowance. Is it the house you want them to pay for (rent not buy) made of gold or is it diamond built? 90 percent of us, including Ayu, have a house here in Abuja. So, I don’t know. What is the take-home of Nigeria’s President, including accommodation allowance? What is bad is bad.
“I am not taking any steps. We have done what our conscience says is the right thing to do. Every person has a conscience, a name to protect. If others do not feel there is nothing wrong with it, that is their business. I didn’t say other people should do it or not do it. They all have their consciences.
“I even saw in a paper on Sunday that such thing was brought before the NWC, the decision was taken by every person, the decision was taken in a meeting. I have challenged them that they should produce the minutes of the meeting and the date the meeting took place and who voted for that and who did not.
“I can tell you for sure that there was no meeting that the issue came to the NWC. I have never seen a country like this. Some said the money was paid on the 14th and why did it take me over 5-6 days? With the type of insecurity in this country, how many people put alerts on their phones?
“I normally reconcile my account at the end of every month. The story by a paper on September 26 was what triggered off this whole crisis. If not, I would have seen it at the end of the month.”
The breakdown of the total funds shared by senator Ayu is highlighted below;
The whole amount of money paid out by The embattled National chairman was N540,000,000.
While the two deputies & national secretary got N36,000,000. each, 15 NWC members N28,800,000. each.