The Obi-Datti fundraising team has refuted Monday’s claim by the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, that only Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo, were responsible for managing the campaign funds of LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the 2023 election.
Abure had told journalists in Abuja after a meeting of the National Executive Council on Monday that there was no iota of truth in the allegation that he embezzled the party’s campaign donations.
The embattled national chairman emphasised that there was no way he could have accessed any fund since he was not involved directly in the management of the presidential flag candidate.
He said, “ The party and I have been accused of being responsible for Peter Obi’s failure in the 2023 general election. They stated that the campaign, election donations and funds for the payment of agents were mismanaged by the party hence Peter Obi failed in the election.
“The election funding was done by Obi himself. As per the donations, the party was not involved. The signatories to these accounts were Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo. They were equally responsible for the payment of Polling Unit Agents.
“Consequently, it is mischievous for any person to accuse me and the party of mismanagement of these funds. At no time did the Party or its officials engage in any financial transactions as it relates to the presidential campaign.”
Reacting in a viral video posted on her official YouTube account on Tuesday, Yesufu, who doubled as the chairman of the campaign fundraising team, described Abure as a liar.
The activist also challenged the national chairman to tell Nigerians what he did with the proceeds of the ‘Labour Party N1,000 Challenge’ campaign donations he has been raising since 2022.
He said, “That statement Abure made was a big fat lie. He thinks it was like those days when they used to do their Labour unionism when nobody had internet or keep records; those days they got away with everything. When it comes to certain things, I am a very detailed and process-driven person.
“There were times when the fundraising team was frustrated with me because of my insistence on due process. Before Mr Obi came out with his campaign account, the Labour Party had theirs. I have with me here a ‘Labour Party N1,000 Challenge’ post that was tweeted on 24/11/22. It said ‘Take ownership of the LP campaign by donating a minimum of N1,000 to Labour Party Zenith Account 1225832294.
“When that account was opened by Abure, I was very angry. I remember some people harmlessly saying it was no big deal since it was for the same Labour Party campaign. But I insisted that it is not the same thing because we don’t have access to any money that went into the LP account and therefore can’t use it to facilitate the electioneering campaign.
“So for Julius Abure to come out in 2024 to blatantly lie that they were not involved in any campaign, saying it was only Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua (is unbelievable). By the way, there are three signatories, not two as he said. Up till now, the LP has not accounted for the money the public donated to them neither have they accounted for the money used to procure forms.”
The allegation and counter-allegation come six months after Yesufu announced that the fundraising team received donations totalling N596m from party supporters, Obidient movements and well-meaning Nigerians across the globe.
She added that Obi also spent N744,500,000 on litigation following his loss in the 2023 presidential election.