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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the seven members of the State Working Committee (SWC) of party that recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) did so to avoid accounting for the presidential campaign funds in their custody.
This is as the party dismissed allegations of violence and anti-party activities by the erstwhile SWC members against its gubernatorial candidate and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu as figments of their imagination.
PDP’s Financial Secretary in Imo State, Bedewell Ejimadu, at a press conference in Owerri alleged that the seven SWC members resigned because they were afraid of being indicted by a committee investigating them for alleged sabotage and mismanagement of over N1.4billion funds earmarked for the 2023 presidential campaign.
“They are just trying to run away from being indicted but that will not save them. The report will soon be completed and made known to the public. Among the issue is the over N1.4 billion campaign fund sent to Imo State during the presidential campaign in the state. The money has remained unaccounted for. A committee was set up and is investigating the way the monies coming into the party were spent, and before you know it, they all resigned their positions in the party. I want to say this, my office as the financial secretary did not receive any money because some people who felt they are bigger than the party usurped my position and misappropriated party funds.”
Ejimadu said preliminary investigations show that some agents of the party that were recruited and forwarded to INEC by the Deputy Chairman, Sir Martin Ejiogu and Secretary, Nze Ray Emeana for the presidential and National Assembly elections in some areas were APC members.
He said this seriously hampered the availability of result sheets that some of the candidates at the tribunal needed to use in recovering their stolen mandates.
Ejimadu said as financial secretary of the party in the state, he has no records of any financial dealings by the party. He said all proceeds from sales of nomination forms and party cards, annual dues, levies and donations running into over N600 million that accrued to the party in the last three years were only known to the state secretary, deputy chairman and treasurer, who are among the defectors to APC.
“The manner of the distribution and utilisation of these funds are a subject of investigation by the party and we will stop at nothing to unravel how a major portion of these funds developed wings. We want to state categorically that no measure of blackmail or defection will stop the ongoing investigation and if they are found culpable, surely they will be handed over to the security agencies for prosecution.”
The party also clarified that it was not against the constitution of the party for Senator Anyanwu, who is the national secretary of the party, and also the governorship candidate of the party at the same.
“We want to categorically state that these individuals that left have not affected the popularity or electoral value of our party in any way, the party is ever strong and increasing numerically and in stature with the recent entrance of a deluge of supporters thronging into our party in Imo daily.”
