Party officials ask Metuh, Bello to resign

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a bid to sanitise its house, has called on its officials who have been indicted in the ongoing arms purchase scandal to resign.

Punch Newspapers reports that some officers of the party asked the PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh and Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Alhaji Haliru Bello, to resign immediately.

Reports say an official statement declaring the stand of the party, was signed by the Deputy National Youth Leader, Dennis Alonge-Niyi; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Bashir Maidugu; Deputy National Organising Secretary, Okey Nnaedozie; and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo.

The statement reads: “In the light of this, the Deputy National Officers of the PDP along with other members of the National Executive Committee, having carefully deliberated upon and reviewed the current situation of our party, wish to state and demand as follows:

“We hereby strongly dissociate the PDP from the ongoing trials of Mohammed (Bello) and Metuh on various charges by the anti-graft agencies.”

The statement also said “This is because the charges against them are in their individual capacities and not acting on behalf of the party.

“They are said to have received funds using accounts of their private companies without the knowledge and instructions of any organs of the party.”

“All those mentioned in the ongoing corruption trial are therefore on their own and the party was not involved financially or in any way with the office of the National Security Adviser or any other organ of the Federal Government in the last regime,” the statement said.

Top members of the Peoples Democratic Party have been indicted in the ongoing $2.1b arms probe.