The crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems not to be ending soon, a few months before the 2023 elections. This is as National Working Committee members opposed to the national chairman of the party, Iyorchia Ayu, have accused the leadership of the party of marginalising them in the ongoing presidential campaigns.

A few weeks ago, some NWC members including the Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja; returned millions of naira into the party’s coffers, questioning Ayu’s powers to approve funds above N10m cap.

While Arapaja returned the sum of N36m, the other five returned N28.8m each, citing a report in the media alleging they had been bribed by the national chairman to silence them on questions bordering on Ayu’s financial accountability.

Although, the party in a statement absolved the former Senate President of any wrongdoing, noting that the disbursement of the controversial housing allowance passed through due process; the NWC members insisted that at no point were they part of a meeting where the issue was tabled for deliberations.

Also speaking, an NWC member who refunded his share of the housing allowance said he and five others who rejected the money had been branded “Wike’s people,” adding that they have been dumped by the National Chairman of the party. Confiding in the newspaper, he said: “Those of us who refunded money has been totally sidelined. They called us Wike’s people and they don’t want us to have anything to do with the campaigns.”

Credit: Legit