Because the situation rocking the Labour Celebration intensifies, the senator representing the Federal Capital Field, Ireti Kingibe, on Tuesday, threw her weight in the back of the 29-man caretaker committee installed playground by means of the birthday celebration’s stakeholders extreme pace.
This was once as activist Aisha Yesufu attcked LP Nationwide Chairman, Julius Abure, over alleged misappropriation of crusade finances.
An enlarged stakeholders’ assembly known as by means of the presidential candidate of the birthday celebration within the 2023 election, Peter Obi and the Abia Order Governor, Alex Otti, held in Umuahia, Abia Order capital, was once known as to unravel the lingering management situation within the birthday celebration.
On the assembly, the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee was once prepared as much as steer the affairs of the birthday celebration and habits a countrywide conference.
Alternatively, the Nationwide Chairman of the birthday celebration, Julius Abure; Nationwide Secretary, Umar Farouk and the Nationwide Formative years Chief, Kennedy Ahanotu, have been conspicuously absent on the assembly.
Kingibe, on the flag-off of a four-day separate scientific outreach she facilitated for her constituents in Abuja, achieved in collaboration with the Nationwide Fee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Individuals, mentioned Abure and his loyalists have been but to return to phrases with truth.
Represented by means of her Senior Legislative Aide, Dr Chris Omofoma, Kingibe informed The PUNCH that each and every LP member knew Abure’s tenure along his NWC had ended way back to June 2023.
“There is not any situation within the Labour Celebration. It’s Abure’s NWC that refused to confess that its tenure has ended.
“Even INEC has obviously mentioned that Abure’s tenure resulted in 2023 June. However Alex Otti and Peter Obi prolonged it by means of one week so the birthday celebration may just get better from the (2023) election losses earlier than accomplishing the nationwide conference.
“So their tenure was once prolonged to June 8, 2024, which has lapsed. No matter Alex Otti, Obi and alternative birthday celebration stakeholders did is definitely in form with the charter and INEC pointers.
“It is left for Abure to come to terms with the reality that his tenure is over and it is time to do the needful. I am in sync with the Nenadi Usman-led committee and I back it 100 per cent. That is the way to go,” she mentioned.
On Monday, on the Nationwide Government Committee assembly of the birthday celebration, Abure informed reporters the allegation that he embezzled the birthday celebration’s crusade donations was once unfaithful.
“I will have to grasp this chance to put together some clarifications on a couple of problems. The birthday celebration and I’ve been accused of being accountable for Peter Obi’s failure within the 2023 normal election. They mentioned that the crusade, election donations and finances for the fee of brokers have been mismanaged by means of the birthday celebration, therefore Peter Obi failed within 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.”
Alternatively, the Obi-Datti fundraising workforce refuted the declare that simplest Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Ighodalo have been accountable for managing the crusade finances of the LP presidential crusade on the 2023 election.
Reacting in a viral video posted on her authentic YouTube account on Tuesday, Yesufu, who doubled because the chairman of the crusade fundraising workforce, described Abure as a protracted liar.
The activist challenged the nationwide chairman to inform Nigerians what he did with the proceeds of the notorious ‘Labour Party N1,000 Challenge’ crusade donations he were elevating since 2022.
“That remark Abure made was once a heavy heavy lie. He thinks it was once like the ones days after they worn to do their Labour unionism when no one had the web or saved information; the ones days they were given away with the entirety. Relating to positive issues, I’m an excessively vivid and process-driven individual.
“There have been occasions when the fundraising workforce was once pissed off with me as a result of my insistence on due task. Sooner than Mr Obi got here out along with his crusade account, the Labour Celebration had theirs. I’ve with me right here a ‘Labour Party N1,000 Challenge’ submit that was once tweeted on 24/11/22. It mentioned ‘Speed possession of the LP crusade by means of donating at least N1,000 to Labour Celebration Top Account 1225832294.
“When that account was once opened by means of Abure, I used to be very enraged. I take note some crowd harmlessly pronouncing it was once negative heavy trade in because it was once for a similar Labour Celebration crusade. However I insisted that it isn’t the similar factor as a result of we don’t have get entry to to any cash that got into the LP account and, subsequently, can’t worth it to facilitate the electioneering crusade.
“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 neither accounted for the money the public donated to them nor accounted for the money used to procure forms.”
The allegation and counter-allegation come six months nearest Yesufu introduced that the fundraising workforce won donations totalling N596m from birthday celebration supporters, Obidient actions and well-meaning Nigerians around the globe.
She added that Obi additionally spent N744,500,000 on litigations following his loss within the 2023 presidential election.
Additionally on the NEC assembly of the birthday celebration on Monday, Abure introduced the withdrawal of computerized tickets up to now reserved for Obi and Otti, forward of the 2027 elections.
Studying the communiqué nearest the NEC assembly, Abure mentioned the birthday celebration had thrown revealed all its tickets, from the presidency to the homes of meeting to all certified Nigerians.
“NEC in session also reviewed the decision of the national convention to reserve its presidential and governorship tickets for Peter Gregory Obi and Alex Otti respectively. Consequently, all tickets of the party from the Presidency to the houses of assembly are open to all qualified Nigerians,” the communiqué learn.
However the former Director Normal of the Obi/Datti Presidential Marketing campaign Council, Near Osuntokun, mentioned he suspected foul play games and ulterior motives in the back of the verdict.
Osuntokun, reacting to the withdrawal of computerized tickets to Obi and Otti when he was once featured as a visitor on Rise TV on Tuesday, mentioned Abure’s determination to put together a U-turn a couple of weeks nearest his pronouncement confirmed he had an ulterior cause.
The ex-campaign DG additionally raised issues that the birthday celebration may just now not have enough money to have a southern nationwide chairman when the presidential standard-bearer was once similarly from the South.
He mentioned the birthday celebration had to crash a steadiness to keep away from giving Nigerians the perception that it was once a regional association.
“It isn’t for him (Abure) to make a decision who would be the candidate or now not. This can be a elementary false impression coming from somebody vulnerable to a fable of grandeur. How can a birthday celebration chairman announce this kind of factor? It approach he has already determined who will get the presidential price ticket. It defies good judgment.
“The Labour Celebration, because of the power and capability displayed (on the extreme election), had confident many who Obi and Otti would conserve their tickets.
“However some vested pursuits, just like the ruling birthday celebration, for example, can be within the subversion of the birthday celebration. One of the simplest ways to try this is to walk in the course of the nationwide chairman. We noticed the only with the (Lamidi) Apapa’s personal. They’re at it once more.
“The truth is there is no way you can hold a convention without the consent of INEC. If you stage a convention in which the principal stakeholders stay away and INEC is still not in a position to give the approved authority, it is clear. Look, this tendency of sit-tight syndrome is what is principally wrong with Africa,” he mentioned.
Brushing aside Abure’s declare, Osuntokun mentioned, “Probably, Obi may be the birthday celebration’s candidate within the then election. He’s from the South-East. So by means of the good judgment of Nigeria’s energy politics, the chairman of the birthday celebration will have to now not come from the South. This is logical.
“I don’t know how this plays in his (Abure) mind. These are the kind of things that should be in his consideration.”
The Abia Order LP chairman, Emmanuel Otti, mentioned, “It’s too early now to be speaking about 2027. No person is aware of who will reside past that. It is just God that may say.
“We have seen people who say they will do one thing and, at the end of the day, may not be alive for that. So, only God has the final say.”
The Particular Abettor to the Abia Order Governor on Political Affairs, Acho Obioma, mentioned, “Abure is stating his own. Let all of us here calm down. I can’t join issues with anybody. My advice is that nobody should join any issues with him.”
When contacted, the Abia Order Commissioner for Data, Okey Kanu, mentioned he was once now not competent to speak on that however will have to be left for Abure and others who he mentioned have been separate to mention no matter they sought after.
He requested that the subject be left to these dealing with birthday celebration issues, including that, “We are focused on our mandate to deliver democracy dividend to Abia people.”
Efforts to succeed in the Eminent Press Secretary to the Abia Order Governor, Ukoha Njoku and the Governor’s Media Abettor, Ferdinand Ekeoma, failed as they may now not be reached for his or her feedback.
Additionally, efforts to get reactions from Obi’s camp at the computerized price ticket failed.
As of the date of submitting the file, Obi’s crusade spokesman, Yunusa Tanko, informed our correspondent “We don’t want to speak or say anything concerning the Labour Party for now. We are not ready to join issues with anybody.”