A fresh crisis has erupted in the Nigerian Labour Party (LP) National Working Committee (NWC) over alleged misappropriation of N3 billion purportedly raised for the 2023 campaign.

Last week, the National Chairman of the LP, Barr Julius Abure while debunking an allegation of forgery leveled against him, said some members of his party are being sponsored to destabilize the party.

But the National Treasurer of the LP, Mrs Oluchi Oprah, accused their national chairman Abure of misappropriating over N3 billion out of the N3.5 billion raised for the 2023 campaigns.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Oluchi said under Mr Abure’s watch, over N3.5 billion was raised from the sale of nomination forms for the 2023 general elections.

“However, apart from the proceeds of the sale of forms from his home state of Edo – which was diverted to Mr Abure’s private accounts, he only declared N55 million to me as Treasurer, of the over N3.5 billion raised, pocketing the rest for himself,” Oluchi said.

According to her, during off-cycle elections in several states last year, the party raised around N958 million from nomination forms and donations.

“These funds have completely vanished under Mr. Abure’s oversight – with zero paper trail.While on a fundraising tour in the United States in August 2023, Mr. Abure and his cronies raised hundreds of thousands of dollars from the party’s diaspora community.

“To date, he has not declared a single dollar to me or the NWC, essentially stealing donations meant for the party’s development. Indeed, not a single cent from donations received was ever paid into any of the party’s accounts,” Oluchi said.

According to her, Abure run the affairs of the Labour Party as his private estate adding that it is with great reluctance and deep concern that she is compelled to address the media publicly regarding the egregious financial mismanagement and corruption that have plagued their 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.

“Since assuming office in 2021, Mr Abure has engaged in a series of actions that not only undermine the principles upon which the Labour Party was founded but also constitute grave violations of trust and fiduciary responsibility. His tenure has been marred by forgery, embezzlement, and corrupt enrichment, all at the expense of the party and its members. He has unilaterally depleted the party’s bank accounts, often through fraudulent means, including forging the signature of his predecessor and our late national chairman – Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, immediately after his demise.

“One of the most alarming aspects of Mr Abure’s conduct is his repeated denial of my access to the party’s financial records and bank accounts. Despite my role as National Treasurer and custodian of all party funds, bank and accounting records, I have been systematically prohibited from fulfilling my duties, including accessing essential information and bank statements necessary for proper financial oversight. This deliberate obstruction not only hinders my ability to carry out my responsibilities but also raises serious questions about the chairman’s transparency and accountability.

“The chairman regularly syphones monies from the party accounts through unauthorised transfers to proxy individuals, including junior unsuspecting administrative staff at our national secretariat, as well as special purpose vehicles owned by himself and/or his wife and/or other family members.

“To conceal his financial crimes from the authorities, Mr. Abure doctored audit reports in 2023 and tried to bribe me severally – first with money, then a new car and even a new house, to ratify his hoax financial statements. I rejected his bribes and obstruction of my duties as Treasurer. Indeed, Labour Party remains the only major political party that has failed to submit an audit report of our financial activities for 2022 2023, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (“INEC”).

“Evidence suggests the chairman has sunk his loot into various choice properties in Nigeria and Europe. When he assumed office in 2021, Mr. Abure was practically destitute. His financial position essentially remained the same until 2022, following the entry of His Excellency Peter Obi into the Labour Party. Today, Mr. Abure owns multiple high-end real estate in Abuja, Benin, Uromi, and Italy, whose value runs into hundreds of millions, if not billions of naira. To the best of my knowledge, he did not own a single property prior to 2022 and lived in very squalid conditions.

“For many months now, I have persistently demanded financial transparency and accountability from Mr Abure, to no avail. I have repeatedly requested for bank statements and transaction notifications to be sent directly to my office as Treasurer, all of which have fallen on deaf ears. All calls for appointment of reputable external auditors to evaluate and report on the party’s financial activities have been vehemently rejected by Mr. Abure. He has clearly breached public trust and serially flouts our party’s constitution.

“I must also address the chairman’s attempts to cover up his financial malfeasance through the fabrication of audit reports and the coercion of party officials, including myself, into compliance. His actions not only undermine the integrity of our party but also betray the trust of the Nigerian people, who look to us for principled leadership and ethical governance.

“Mr. Abure has brought immense shame and controversy to our great party. His conduct has completely violated the trust placed in him by party members and the “Obidient Movement” nationwide. Essentially, he may have single-handedly jeopardised our chances in past and upcoming elections, due to his penchant for embezzlement and financial impropriety,” Oluchi said while urging Mr Abure to immediately provide documentation for the N3.5 billion raised from the sale of forms for the 2023 elections and why Edo State proceeds went into private accounts.

“Account for the N958 million raised from off-cycle elections in 2023. Provide paper trails and documentary evidence of adherence to due process.

“Declare every single dollar raised from the 2023 US fundraising tour and provide documentation on where donations were warehoused and how the same was appropriated.

“Explain the source of funds for properties bought in Nigeria and abroad between 2022 and 2023. Provide paper evidence.

“Allow me unfettered access to party accounts and records as National Treasurer.

“Submit to an independent forensic audit of our party’s finances, to be conducted by a reputable international firm,” Oluchi said, adding that Abure should explain why he has deliberately undermined her authority and flouted the Labour Party’s constitution.

“Provide evidence that he has not abused his office for personal enrichment through theft, money laundering, or abuse of power,” Oluchi said, adding that the Labour Party belongs to its broad membership, not a single power-drunk individual.

“I urge Mr Abure to do the honourable thing and submit himself to a transparent process that will restore confidence, trust, and integrity in our party’s financial dealings.

“I sincerely hope the chairman seizes this opportunity to clear the air. Our loyal supporters deserve nothing less.

“Accordingly, I call upon Mr Julius Abure to come clean and be held accountable for his actions. I demand that he immediately relinquish his stranglehold on the party’s finances and allow me to carry out my constitutionally assigned duties without interference. The Labour Party was founded on the principles of justice, equality, and integrity, and it is incumbent upon all of us to uphold these values in the face of corruption and abuse of power.

“I equally urge all members of the Labour Party, including H.E. Mr. Peter Obi, and the Nigerian public to stand with me in demanding accountability and transparency from our chairman. We cannot allow the actions of a few individuals to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of our party or undermine the trust of the people we serve. It is time for change, and I stand ready to fight for the principles that define us as a party and as a nation. I reiterate my demand for Mr Abure to fully account for every naira and dollar raised under his tenure. Nothing less than full transparency and accountability will suffice.The Labour Party represents the dreams and aspirations of millions of Nigerians yearning for good and responsible governance. We cannot afford to fail them,” Oluchi added.

But reacting to the allegations, the National Publicity Secretary
of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, said Oluchi’s allegations are malicious.

Obiora said the National Treasurer who is certainly under some external influences merely read out a concocted statement drafted by their detractors to further tar 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 8 years as National Treasurer 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,” Obiora said adding that evidence is their proactive outing in the 2023 general election 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. The records are there, except that Ms Oluchi Opara doesn’t even understand simple accounting even as a treasurer.

“An External Auditor is engaged by the party and our account is under constant scrutiny of INEC or other regulatory bodies.

“Abure does not own several houses and property as spuriously alleged by our estranged National Treasurer, even though no law prohibits him from owning properties.

“The constitution of the Labour Party in Article 14:1b provides that the National Chairman shall be the Accounting Officer of the party while 14:1d “Shall approve all expenditures and shall be a signatory to the Party’s Bank account(s)”

“Accordingly, Article 14: 6 states that the National Treasurer “Shall receive and promptly pay into the Party’s account(s), all monies received for and on behalf of the Party.

“Shall ensure the preparation of Annual Statement of Account/Reports on finances of the Party including compilation of the Party’s Assets and liabilities and make the same available to the National Executive Council from time to time. Shall be a co-signatory to the Party Account(s),” Obiora said.

According to him, these sections are clear as to the duty of the national chairman apart from providing leadership.

“The duty of the National Treasurer is also clearly spelt out. In the past, the party didn’t have accounting books or methods as it was run by the then chairman and Ms Oluchi the Treasurer. They were only accountable to themselves, but with the emergence of the Abure led executive, and the growth of the party, it became imperative for the party to structure its accounting method and policy. This of course didn’t go down well with the National Treasurer whose financial source was shut down.

The party can understanding her vituperations but we can’t help her situation more so when her time in the NWC is running out. Her wish to cash out was not granted and her subtitle effort to push the leadership to ‘settle’ her was rejected hence her resolve to fight dirty.

“It will be recalled that she is alone in this battle. Several stakeholders have had course to prevail on her to bridle her inordinate ambition but all to no avail. We are surprised that despite all efforts to assure her of a future, she still went ahead to align with our detractors and sworn enemies of the party,” Obiora said, adding that the party will take her case to the disciplinary committee where appropriate measures will be taken.