Former National Treasurer of Labour Party Insists  Abure Misappropriated N3.5bn

Chuks Okocha in Abuja 

Former National Treasurer of the Labour Party, Oluchi Opara yesterday insisted that the embattled National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, misappropriated N3.5 billion of the party’s funds.

She was reacting to statement by Abure when he said Monday that he did not handle campaign funds. He also said that the monies for the campaign were handled by designated officials of the Obidient family. .

According to Abure, “Campaign funds were disbursed, administered in the Southern States by the leadership of  Doyin Okupe, and secondly under the control of Akin Oshuntokun while the funding of the Campaign for the 19 Northern States was handled by the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Party Datti Baba-Ahmed. 

“The funding of the election was done by Peter Obi himself. As per the donations, the party was not involved in the donations. Donations to the campaign were channeled to accounts which have  Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo as signatories. They were equally responsible for the payment of polling unit agents.

“Consequently, it is mischievous for any person to accuse me and the party for mismanagement of these funds. At no time did the party or its officials engage in any financial transactions as it relates to presidential campaign.

“It will be safe for me at this point to conclude that I and my colleagues elected in the convention of our party held on the 27th day of March 2024 will defend the mandate given to us by members of this party. No amount of intimidation or harassment will make us surrender this leadership, “ Abure said.

  But in her reaction, contained in a statement she signed  the former Treasurer said:, “I, Mrs. Oluchi Oparah, former National Treasurer of the Labour Party, have brought to light a grave concern that requires immediate attention. Mr. Julius Abure, the former Acting National Chairman of the party, has been accused of misappropriating and corruptly utilising N3.5 billion  generated by the party during the 2023 general election.

“Instead of addressing these serious allegations, Mr. Abure has chosen to embark on a wild goose chase, attempting to discredit our principal, Peter Obi.

“As the former National Treasurer, I possess intimate knowledge of the party’s financial dealings and can confidently attest that the allegations against Mr. Abure are not unfounded.

“The N3.5 billion in question was meant for critical party expenses, but evidence suggests that it was diverted for personal gain.

“It is shocking that Mr. Abure has opted to deflect attention from his own actions by launching a smear campaign against Peter Obi, a respected leader and the face of our party. This diversionary tactic is a clear indication of his desperation to avoid accountability.

“I urge Mr. Abure to come clean and address the allegations directly. The party deserves transparency and honesty, especially from those who at one time or other were entrusted with leadership responsibility. I call on the Labour Party leadership and relevant authorities to investigate this matter thoroughly and bring clarity to the allegations.

“Let us not forget that accountability is the cornerstone of good governance and leadership. I will not stand idly by while our party’s integrity is compromised. I demand that Mr. Abure answers to these allegations and provides evidence to support his claims of innocence.

I reiterate that the allegations against Mr. Abure are serious and warrant immediate attention. I will continue to advocate  transparency and accountability within our party, even if it means standing alone. The truth must prevail, and justice must be served.”

Also reacting to Abure in a post on her official X account  yesterday, Yesufu refuted Abure’s claims.

Yesufu wrote: “Julius Abure thinks we are still in 1980 where one can lie shamelessly without being fact checked.”

She also accompanied her tweet with pictures of the 2023 election campaign donation flier which captured the details.