PDP Crisis: Ayu Denies Collecting N1bn Bribe, Confirms Receipt of N100m

The PDP national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu has broken his silence on the N1 billion bribery allegation levelled against him by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

The chairman said he did not collect such an amount from anybody in the party.

He cited fear of altercations in the party and hope for reconciliation as the reasons for his silence on the allegations. He, however, said it was necessary to respond as there have been attacks on his person – and family members – since the end of the party’s presidential convention in May.

Ayu was reacting to comments from Wike weeks ago where he accused the former of collecting up to N1 billion in Lagos from a member of the party

The governor also accused Ayu of bribing some members of the party’s National Working Committee to have them on his side.

Wike’s allegations generated more controversies when some members of the NWC began to return money to the chairman.

At least four NWC members returned over N120 million. The sum ranged from N28 million to N36 million.

In separate letters to the chairman, they said they had to return the money which was tagged ‘housing allowance’ because of allegations in the media that it was a bribe.

In a Friday interview, Wike alleged that the chairman also received double pay for a single project.

Ayu, he said, collected N100 million from a governor to renovate the party’s democratic institution and then he (Ayu) went back to the PDP NWC and collected N100 million naira for doing the same job.

He vowed to mention the name of the governor should Ayu deny the allegations.

“If people know what we know, if we release what we have, Ayu’s children will go to him and say we are no longer your children,” Mr Wike said.

While responding to the allegations after a meeting at the Party’s board of trustees on Friday, Ayu said he “never collected N1bn from anybody.”

He narrated how the party had difficulties in funding when he was elected and how the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had suggested that the party take a loan of N1 billion from a bank – whose owner was also an influential member of this party but has left the party.

“But when we discussed with him, we discarded the idea,” he said. “And the party never took any loan or any money from anybody. And I as a person never collected N1billion from anybody.

“Any money advanced to the party was declared before the National Working Committee (NWC) and handed over to the National Treasurer of the party.”

While he maintained that the party’s accounts are straight, he promised to present the audited account to the public at the end of the year.

Ayu also acknowledged that a governor donated N100 million for the revival of the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI) which was housed in a portacabin. He denied taking another N100 million from the NWC.

He said the party’s Board of Trustees had briefed him about the donation and the sum “has been judiciously used for the purpose it was given.”

He further said soon, the Institute will be commissioned and party leaders, including “the governor in question” will be present to witness it.

“So, it is not true. Neither I nor the NWC ever took any party money to carry out the renovation. In fact, we have not even exhausted that N100m which was donated by one of the governors.”

The current diatribe between the duo shows that the crisis in the party is far from over, especially since Wike recently declared that there will be no peace in the party until Ayu resigns his position.