A group, Youth Advocate for Equity has reacted to the report that the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja and others that returned the Housing Allowance sent to their individual accounts are under investigation, saying the said report is untrue and an attempt to divert the attention of the public from the real issue.
The group stated this in a statement issued and signed by its Secretary, Sodiq Olaiya a made available to newsmen today.
According to the statement: Our attention has been drawn to a report in the Punch Newspaper which quoted one Timothy Osadolor who called himself the National Youth Leader as saying an Investigative Committee has been set up to investigate Arapaja and others over what he (Timothy) called ‘weighty allegations ‘levelled against them’ .
To set the record straight, though the said Timothy is the Assistant National Youth Leader and one of those that benefitted from the Housing Allowance largesse, he was not present in the meeting of the NWC held on Tuesday because he is not a member of the NWC of the party. Therefore he cannot claim to be privy to what transpired and reeooution at the NWC’s meeting yesterday.
His loose and unwarranted press statement was done in an attempt to justify and support the actions of the National Chairman, Senator Ayu and other NWC members who have also benefitted from and had squandered the money collected but have no means of returning the money just as Ambassador Arapaja and others have done.
The true resolution of the NWC meeting is contained in the Press Statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party which read in part “ ..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 contained in The Nation Newspaper of September 26, 2022”. What correlation has this with Timothy’s loose statement to Punch Newspaper?
We found it equally disdain how the substance of the whole matter vis-a-vis disbursement/rejection of the said Housing Allowance is being neglected while some corrupt leaders in the Party are only chasing shadows and flogging non issues. Instead of prevailing on Ayu to account for the N14 Billion accrued to the Party during the Sale of Nomination Forms, and to clear the air on the expediency of approving such huge amounts to NWC members at this time, people are castigating those who return the money while praising and defending the action of those who are mopping up the party’s purse.
We want to sound a note of warning to the NWC and some corrupt party leaders to tread softly on this matter if truly they want an end to the internal crisis that has engulfed the party lately. We have observed that the Board of Trustees and the National Executive Council are working day and night to find a solution to the Atiku/Wike imbroglio, but Ayu is using the NWC to ignite another crisis.
There is a need for ceasefire at this point and to jointly plan for the success of the party in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.” The group concluded.
