•Relates how party rejected bribe money from aspirants
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Outgoing leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, charged the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, to immediately provide explanation to Nigerians particularly, party members on the processes that led to his nomination as the governorship candidate of the party and tell the truth about the allegation of bribery made against the NWC members.
The party, however, narrated how the suspended national chairman, Uche Secondus,rejected and reported attempt by a governorship aspirant to bribe the NWC
This is as the acting national chairman, Elder Yomi Akinwonmi said although Secondus-led NWC has done well, except that he did not lead the party to win the 2019 presidential election.
But, in a veiled reaction to the allegations if some NWC members received bribe before giving Obaseki ticket, Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Mr Paulinus Nsirim, said, “They are tax collectors. Let them challenge me and I will come out with more facts. Nobody will rubbish me by raising false accusations against me. I will fight back”.
Speaking at the valedictory session for the outgoing NWC, National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, denied collecting any form of gratification or bribe before clearing and giving the party’s ticket to Obaseki to contest the September, 2020 Edo State governorship election.
“Let me state without mincing words that the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, owesthe members of this NWC the responsibility of clearing our names before the public. I will like to place on record that this NWC did not demand for any form of gratification from Obaseki before he got the ticket of our party.
“It is also important to restate that this NWC did not demand for any form of ‘tax’ from Governor Obaseki, neither did we collect same. He therefore owes it a duty to clear our names.”
Ologbondiyan, whose speech was interrupted many times by rounds of applause by his colleagues, insisted that the outgoing NWC had done its best to reposition and rebuild the party, resulting in regaining some more states.
His words: “Before the 2019 elections, we had already added three governors from Sokoto, Kwara, and Benue States. The Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives led a good number of their colleagues to team up with the party. The APC adopted a reckless maximum rigging to snatch Ekiti and Osun.
“We rebuilt the party in content and character and this made it an attraction. We came out of the election with 17 governors, the APC stole Imo State while three governors later left the party to pursue personal endeavours, which was not as a result of NWC’s fault.
“The 2018 elective National convention, which produced our Presidential candidate was adjudged the best. It was keenly contested and not by consensus. At the end, none of the aspirants left the party.
“The NWC carried out reforms that stopped the use of Ghana Must Go to win nominations or tickets, restructured the workforce and adopted a smart approach. For many years, the party was unable to conduct online registration of its members. Today, we have our members registering online and our party has become digitally prepared ahead of any other party in our country. “
Outgoing National Secretary, Umaru Tsauri, narrated how Secondus called to inform him that a governorship aspirant during the 2019 general election came to bribe members of the NWC, but said, “we rejected the said Kola money and asked him to use it to fund his campaign.”
Akinwomi, however, maintained that the NWC under Secondus performed creditably, except that “we did not win the 2019 presidential election. We have done our best.”
