Deputy spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has disclosed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the House donated freely to the campaign funds of Edo State Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo.
OsunDailyNG reports that Agbese made this known while reacting to a report stating that the sum of ₦1 million was deducted from APC lawmakers’ allowances without their consent in support of Okpebholo and his then-running mate, Dennis Idahosa, a member of the House of Representatives.
However, in an interview with Punch, Agbese said the decision to support Okpebholo and Idahosa was voluntarily taken at a meeting attended by APC lawmakers.
He noted that the collective resolve of the House majority caucus to support the cause led to the emergence of a Chairman who headed the fundraising committee.
Agbese insisted that no lawmaker in the Green Chamber elected on the platform of the ruling party was coerced to part with money in support of Okpebholo’s governorship ambition.
He said, “The report is not correct. The Senate had decided to support the then governorship candidate, now Governor-elect, Senator Monday Okpebholo. We also deem it fit to support the ticket because the then running mate and now deputy governor-elect, Hon Dennis Idahosa is one of us, a member of the House of Representatives.
“Nobody was compelled to give contrary to the report. The Speaker was not even at the meeting. So, the claim that he unilaterally ordered deductions from lawmakers’ allowances without their knowledge is way off the mark.
“If indeed lawmakers were not happy or were forced to give, they would have protested the moment it was first reported that the APC House caucus was donating to the campaign funds. Why now?
“We had a quorum at the meeting and the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu emerged as the Chairman of the Fund Raising Committee. I have gone this far to let Nigerians know that everything was done orderly.”
