A new crisis is emerging in the Labour Party (LP), as the party’s National Treasurer, Mrs Oluchi Oparah, demanded on Monday that the National Chairman, Julius Abure, produce an account of party monies totaling N3.5 billion from form sales and other fundraisers for the 2023 general elections.
Oparah made the statement on Monday during a press conference in Abuja.
The treasurer claimed that Abure prohibited her from doing her constitutionally mandated function of managing the party’s finances.
Oparah further claimed that the chairman has refused all requests to open the party’s books for inspection since the sale of expressions of interest and candidacy forms ended before the 2023 national elections.
Oparah said:
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. I stand before you today with a heavy heart and a sense of duty to the principles of transparency, accountability, and justice. With great reluctance and deep concern, I am compelled to publicly address the media regarding the egregious financial mismanagement and corruption that have plagued our beloved party under the leadership of Mr Julius Abure, the current National Chairman.
“As National Treasurer, I am constrained to come before you and the public today because the internal mechanisms of our party have failed woefully to bring Mr Abure to account for his brazen abuse of office and misappropriation of party funds.
“ His appetite for power has grown unchecked, and he has deliberately undermined my duties and authority as stipulated in the party’s constitution.”