https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/11/alleged-n11-8bn-scandal-ayu-vows-to-probe-past-pdp-administrations/



National chairman-elect of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu has
pledged the readiness of his administration to
look into the books of the party with a view to
enthroning a culture of accountability and
transparency in the running of party affairs.

Ayu disclosed this in a parley with newsmen at
the party’s secretariat, Abuja on Thursday,
following the end of a two-day retreat organized
for the National Working Committee, NWC,
members-elect.


The former Senate President’s vow came against
the backdrop of a paper presented at the retreat
by Okwesilize Nwodo, former national chairman
of the PDP.


Nwodo in a veiled dig at successive
administrations wondered what happened to the
huge sums of money he handed over to Bello
Haliru-led executive committee.


“I handed over N11 billion in fixed deposit and
N800 million in current account when I left as
national chairman after seven months. I don’t see
what was done with that money.


“Millions were raised to finish our national
headquarters; we don’t seem to have a trace of
where all that money went. Our headquarters is
yet to be completed. Today we don’t even have a
party account. We have to get back to strict
monitoring of our party accounts.


“Our internal audit department needs to be
strengthened and supported by the party
leadership. Very strict sanctions must be imposed
on the mismanagement of party funds.


I suggest that we include inviting the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to probe
erring officers and members and prosecution of
those found culpable. This is the only way to
create a deterrent,” Nwodo stated in his
presentation.

Reacting to the development, Ayu said PDP under
his stewardship will breathe the fresh air of
transparency.


He said: “By the time we come to the office,
accountability will remain our watchword and I
want to assure all of you that we will run the
PDP administration as transparently as possible.
“The outgoing NWC has set up different
committees to look into different areas. We shall
take up all the reports, review them, look at the
facts and then attend to each issue according to
the facts available to us.

“I want to assure you that we shall try to clean
our house no matter who is going to be affected.
We shall try to clean our house following due
process and that due process also includes
exhausting all internal conflict resolving
mechanisms before we bring in any external
intervention when we cannot resolve the issues,”
he added.


That said, Ayu slammed the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led administration over the
planned increase in the price of Premium Motor
Spirit, PMS, saying, “the PDP does not believe in
visiting more hardship on the Nigerian people.
The party has not discussed the issue of an
increase in petroleum prices but our general
position is that the people of Nigeria are already
hard-pressed. There is so much hardship.
“If you are poor, you are not going to benefit
from what is called petroleum subsidy.

“I want to assure Nigerians that when we come
back to power as a party, everything will be done
to make sure that the massive sufferings that
Nigerians are going through come to end because
if you increase the price of petroleum products
today, with the kind of suffering that Nigerians
are going through, it means that there will be
enormous difficulty in transportation.

“Food prices will escalate and they are already
very high out there. You will find that the crime
rate will increase. Every single vice which has
escalated under the All Progressives Congress,
APC will double. So the APC government is trying
to take us into the highest level of suffering and
ultimately, taking Nigerians to a position of non-
existence,” he lamented.

Ayu further promised to explore alternative
sources of funding for the party as well as
organize up periodic retreats for party officials to
keep them abreast of various spheres of party
administration.

Way to go