Labour Party's Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, announced on Wednesday that a forensic audit is being conducted on the party’s accounts as per his request.
The call for an independent audit firm to investigate the party's finances was made on March 14 after the former National Treasurer, Oluchi Oparah, challenged the National Chairman, Julius Abure, to explain how an alleged N3.5bn from the sale of nomination forms and fundraising activities for the 2023 general election was used.
Oparah also accused Abure of not transferring the donations received from Nigerians in the Diaspora during Obi’s election campaign tour in the United States.
However, the Edo politician denied all her allegations when he appeared on Arise News in response to the accusation.
Armed with certain documents and copies of cheques reportedly signed by the treasurer, Abure expressed his frustration that the corruption claims against him were set up to damage his reputation.
Following the controversy, Obi urged the National Working Committee of the party to look into the report.
The former Anambra governor further clarified that one of the proposals he made was for the party to hire a reputable firm to audit the Labour Party’s accounts.
When asked about the progress of the planned audit, the LP presidential candidate informed journalists in Abuja that it is currently underway.
He also cautioned that an audit report is not something they are expected to publicize daily, and added that it will be revealed once it is ready.
“Yes, we are doing that (audit). But we are not going to be reporting to you daily on the auditors’ reports. It is only when they finish that we can let the world know. But if you want to get a daily report from the auditors, we will direct you to them.
“People know that financial issues can take years sometimes to finish. So we can only talk to you about it when it is finished.”
Additionally, the former governor also assured that the current leadership dispute between the Abure-led leadership and the Nigeria Labour Congress will be settled.
Obi explained that it is normal for a political party to have internal conflicts.
He stated that the crisis in the Labour Party cannot be compared to the alleged internal problems experienced by the two leading parties in the country.
He said, “I can tell you that the issue will be resolved. Let me tell you, the issues in the Labour Party are nowhere near or comparable to the other two parties. It is far worse. But it is something that can be dealt with. We are dealing with a system. Every system has its flaws and it can be managed. Yes, things went wrong. But I can assure you, we will deal with it.
“It is unfortunate that we are always focused only on parties. We are not even concerned with what should be our main focus for now, which is the future of the people. For now, let us concentrate on the underprivileged people of Nigeria. That is where my focus lies.
“The next election will come in 2027. Nobody knows who will contest or emerge in 2027. For now, I am more interested in addressing issues that affect ordinary Nigerians.”
