Labour Party (LP), Oluchi Opara, yesterday demanded a probe of the National Chairman, Julius Abure for about N3.5 billion of party finances, the leadership has absolved the latter of any wrongdoing.
It also denied a claim that it has earned N3.5 billion from sale of forms for the Edo governorship primary and other sources. The National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, made the clarification in a statement yesterday.
Oparah had requested transparency from Abure regarding the party’s financial affairs. During a news briefing in Abuja, she had claimed the finances amounted to over N3.5 billion derived from sale of forms and other fundraising activities for the 2023 general elections.
The treasurer contended that she was unable to fulfil her legally mandated duty of managing the party’s finances due to the alleged actions of the national chairman.
Reacting to the claims, LP said: “The attention of the leadership of the party has been drawn to a news conference by our National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, where she raised a number of allegations against the National Chairman, Julius Abure, bordering more on corruption and abuse of office.
“We want to say that the National Treasurer, who is certainly under some external influences, merely read out a concocted statement drafted by our detractors to further tarnish the image of the party.
“With the exception of the National Treasurer, whose tenure is about to end in few weeks’ time, and who has served for eight years without a single record of party accounts, no other member of the National Working Committee has raised any issue of embezzlement against out National Chairman, who made a pledge on assumption that the party has to be revamped.”
Evidence is our proactive outing in the 2023 general elections, as the party presented for the first time a very good presidential candidate.
“Let it be said that the Labour Party has not earned N3.5 billion as claimed and that the National Chairman has not embezzled any money that belongs to the party as alleged.”
