BEVERLY HILLS, March 13, (THEWILL) – The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Sen Ahmed Makarfi has denied allegation that it was collecting N50 million monthly subvention from governors on the party’s platform describing it as unintelligent blackmail.
THEWILL recalls that Cairo Ojougboh, Deputy National Chairman of the Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the party, had alleged that all organs of the party wanted political solution to its leadership crisis except the caretaker committee which does not want to let go because of the N50 million it was receiving monthly from the party’s governors adding that the committee was struggling to hold on to the leadership of party for its own benefit.
But responding to Ojougboh, Dayo Adeyeye, spokesman of the Makarfi-led committee, said the allegation is a lie, cheap and unintelligent attempt to blackmail the committee members adding that members of the caretaker committee did not enjoy any remuneration, and that more often, they spent their personal money to meet some of the party’s needs without complaining.
“On alleged N50 million monthly subvention: This is a lie from the pit of hell and a very cheap and unintelligent attempt at blackmail,” he said.
“It is a known fact by all critical stakeholders of the party and even the staff that the National Caretaker Committee has from inception been hamstrung by inadequate finance.
“This is so much that simple secretariat duties have been a struggle not to talk of payment of staff salary.
“To pay staff salaries of just N18 Million a month has been a problem for us because the funds are not available.
“It is therefore a figment of his imagination to say that the governors give the national caretaker committee N50 million monthly. The governors are all alive and are free to come forward and declare publicly their level of contributions to the national caretaker committee since May 21st 2016.
“Be that as it may, we want to say that the party belongs to all its members – governors, former governors, national assembly members, former national assembly members, presidents, former president, etc. All of them are free to make contribution to its running as it is not a personal empire of anybody or the national caretaker committee. There is therefore nothing illegal or untoward in receiving contributions from party members.
“Our only regret is that these contributions have not been forthcoming as expected, giving the heavy weight of responsibilities placed before us and especially the burden of having to deal with distractions caused by Senator Sheriff and his cohorts.
“Nevertheless, no matter how little, it is better to be funded by our party members than by the All Progressive Congress (APC) as is the case with Sheriff and his cohorts.
“Cairo should tell us which APC governor, minister or official bought Jeeps for them?
“Gov. Àyodele Fayose has also made a public allegation that Sheriff has received the sum of one million dollars from the APC to organize a new convention for PDP. Sheriff is yet to publicly refute the allegation.”
On Sheriff’s call on Prof. Jerry Gana-led Strategy Review and Inter-Party Affairs Committee to stop speaking for the party because “it is illegal’’, Adeyeye said that the committee remained legal and urged Gana and his group to continue with their good work aimed at repositioning the party.
On the status of Ojougboh in PDP National Working Committee (NWC), Adeyeye said Ojougboh parading himself as in that capacity was “an extreme act of impunity” insisting that Ojougboh was neither elected into the position nor appointed by National Executive Council of the party.
“He was not a member of the NWC that existed prior to May 21, 2016.”
