Ahmed Makarfi Denies Receiving N50 Million From Governors

The National Caretaker Committee Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied allegation that it was collecting N50 million monthly subvention from governors on the party’s platform.

The committee’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Dayo Adeyeye, made the denial on Monday in Abuja.

The National Chairman of PDP, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, at a news conference earlier on Monday in Abuja accused the caretaker committee headed by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, of collecting money from the governors monthly.

Sheriff, who was represented at the conference by his deputy, Dr Cairo Ojougbo, also alleged that all organs of the party wanted political solution to its leadership crisis “except the caretaker committee’’.

According to him, the caretaker committee does not want to let go because of the N50 million it was receiving monthly from the party’s governors.

But Adeyeye described the allegation as “a lie, cheap and unintelligent attempt’’ to blackmail the committee members.

“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,’’ he said.

Adeyeye added 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.

He said that the committee never complained publicly about the paucity of fund because it was an internal matter.

He said that the governors ruling on the party’s platform were alive for people to verify the truth of their alleged financial support to the committee.

The publicity secretary, however, pointed out that there was nothing wrong or untoward in receiving contributions from the governors or party members in running a party.

“Our only regret is that these contributions have not been forthcoming as expected, giving the heavy responsibilities placed before us.

“Weighty responsibility, especially the burden of having to deal with distractions caused by Sheriff and his group are left for us to deal with.

“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.