Daily Post reports that a former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has officially announced the appointment of an independent individual to investigate allegations of mismanagement and embezzlement within the party. Obi clarified his lack of control over the party’s finances during a press conference on Thursday, dispelling speculations to the contrary.
Numerous corruption accusations have been directed at the National Chairman of the party, Julius ABURE, with claims that the party’s leadership operates without accountability. The National Treasurer, Mrs Oluchi Oparah, recently urged Abure to provide an account of party funds exceeding N3.5 billion and accused him of obstructing her constitutionally assigned role in handling the party’s accounts. Oparah also called for a forensic audit of the party’s finances and an explanation of the source of funds used by Abure to acquire properties in Nigeria and overseas between 2022 and 2023.
In response, Obi disclosed that the party has initiated a process to audit its finances related to the activities surrounding the 2023 general elections. He defended the timing of the audit, stating that the election litigation concluded in November, and the party commenced the financial review in December, covering activities from 2022 to 2023.
Obi clarified his limited involvement in the party’s financial matters, emphasizing that party affairs are managed by the elected executive of the party’s National Working Committee, in which he is not a signatory. He asserted that he is not a signatory to any group’s account, including campaign funds, and that all money received by him was properly managed. Obi assured the public of a transparent account for all funds, urging anyone with information on the whereabouts of the funds to come forward.