The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, said yesterday that his mission as party chair was not to loot the party’s treasury. Rather, he said his election as chairman was to ensure that the PDP regained power at the centre in 2023. “I was elected to restore the party to power; and not to loot or mismanage party funds”, he stated. In a statement by his Media Adviser, Simon Imobo-Tsam, the chairman said he had instructed the Finance Department to maintain and update the party’s income and expenditure accounts.
This, according to him, would be presented to the National Executive Committee (NEC) in December, to coincide with the first-year anniversary of the National Working Committee (NWC), which he leads. The statement is coming against the backdrop of allegations of corrupt practices against him by some members of the NWC. Only last week, four members of the Working Committee had returned N122.4 million to the party coffers. The money was paid into their bank accounts as housing allowance but which they expressed reservations about the propriety of the funds.
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The statement added that although Ayu had “many faults as a human being”, stealing was not one of them, stressing that the present NWC was being guided by the principles of transparency and accountability. The aide said Ayu spoke while receiving the Forum of Elected Ex-Officio Members of the party who paid him a solidarity visit at the PDP national secretariat. His words: “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 i.e. winning the 2023 general elections.”