Because the disaster rocking the Labour Get together intensifies, the senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe, on Tuesday, threw her weight behind the 29-man caretaker committee put in place by the social gathering’s stakeholders final week.
This was as activist Aisha Yesufu attcked LP Nationwide Chairman, Julius Abure, over alleged misappropriation of marketing campaign funds.
An enlarged stakeholders’ assembly referred to as by the presidential candidate of the social gathering within the 2023 election, Peter Obi and the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, held in Umuahia, Abia State capital, was referred to as to resolve the lingering management disaster within the social gathering.
On the assembly, the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee was set as much as steer the affairs of the social gathering and conduct a nationwide conference.
Nevertheless, the Nationwide Chairman of the social gathering, Julius Abure; Nationwide Secretary, Umar Farouk and the Nationwide Youth Chief, Kennedy Ahanotu, had been conspicuously absent on the assembly.
Kingibe, on the flag-off of a four-day free medical outreach she facilitated for her constituents in Abuja, completed in collaboration with the Nationwide Fee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Individuals, stated Abure and his loyalists had been but to come back to phrases with actuality.
Represented by her Senior Legislative Aide, Dr Chris Omofoma, Kingibe advised The PUNCH that each LP member knew Abure’s tenure alongside his NWC had ended way back to June 2023.
“There is no such thing as a disaster within the Labour Get together. It’s Abure’s NWC that refused to confess that its tenure has ended.
“Even INEC has clearly said that Abure’s tenure led to 2023 June. However Alex Otti and Peter Obi prolonged it by one 12 months so the social gathering might get better from the (2023) election losses earlier than conducting the nationwide conference.
“So their tenure was prolonged to June 8, 2024, which has lapsed. No matter Alex Otti, Obi and different social gathering stakeholders did is nicely in step with the structure and INEC pointers.
“It’s left for Abure to come back to phrases with the truth that his tenure is over and it’s time to do the needful. I’m in sync with the Nenadi Usman-led committee and I again it 100 per cent. That’s the solution to go,” she stated.
On Monday, on the Nationwide Government Committee assembly of the social gathering, Abure advised journalists the allegation that he embezzled the social gathering’s marketing campaign donations was unfaithful.
“I have to seize this chance to make some clarifications on just a few points. The social gathering and I’ve been accused of being chargeable for Peter Obi’s failure within the 2023 common election. They said that the marketing campaign, election donations and funds for the cost of brokers had been mismanaged by the social gathering, therefore Peter Obi failed within the election.
“The election funding was completed by Obi himself. As per the donations, the social gathering was not concerned. The signatories to those accounts had been Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo. They had been equally chargeable for the cost of polling unit brokers.”
Nevertheless, the Obi-Datti fundraising group refuted the declare that solely Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Ighodalo had been chargeable for managing the marketing campaign funds of the LP presidential marketing campaign on the 2023 election.
Reacting in a viral video posted on her official YouTube account on Tuesday, Yesufu, who doubled because the chairman of the marketing campaign fundraising group, described Abure as a continual liar.
The activist challenged the nationwide chairman to inform Nigerians what he did with the proceeds of the notorious ‘Labour Get together N1,000 Problem’ marketing campaign donations he had been elevating since 2022.
“That assertion Abure made was a giant fats lie. He thinks it was like these days after they used to do their Labour unionism when no person had the web or stored data; these days they received away with every part. With regards to sure issues, I’m a really detailed and process-driven individual.
“There have been occasions when the fundraising group was pissed off with me due to my insistence on due course of. Earlier than Mr Obi got here out together with his marketing campaign account, the Labour Get together had theirs. I’ve with me right here a ‘Labour Get together N1,000 Problem’ put up that was tweeted on 24/11/22. It stated ‘Take possession of the LP marketing campaign by donating a minimal of N1,000 to Labour Get together Zenith Account 1225832294.
“When that account was opened by Abure, I used to be very offended. I keep in mind some individuals harmlessly saying it was no huge deal because it was for a similar Labour Get together marketing campaign. However I insisted that it isn’t the identical factor as a result of we don’t have entry to any cash that went into the LP account and, due to this fact, can’t use it to facilitate the electioneering marketing campaign.
“So for Julius Abure to come back out in 2024 to blatantly lie that they weren’t concerned in any marketing campaign, saying it was solely Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua (is unbelievable). By the way in which, there are three signatories, not two as he stated. Up until now, the LP neither accounted for the cash the general public donated to them nor accounted for the cash used to obtain varieties.”
The allegation and counter-allegation come six months after Yesufu introduced that the fundraising group obtained donations totalling N596m from social gathering supporters, Obidient actions and well-meaning Nigerians throughout 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 social gathering on Monday, Abure introduced the withdrawal of computerized tickets beforehand reserved for Obi and Otti, forward of the 2027 elections.
Studying the communiqué after the NEC assembly, Abure stated the social gathering had thrown open all its tickets, from the presidency to the homes of meeting to all certified Nigerians.
“NEC in session additionally reviewed the choice of the nationwide conference to order its presidential and governorship tickets for Peter Gregory Obi and Alex Otti respectively. Consequently, all tickets of the social gathering from the Presidency to the homes of meeting are open to all certified Nigerians,” the communiqué learn.
However the former Director Basic of the Obi/Datti Presidential Marketing campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, stated he suspected foul play and ulterior motives behind the choice.
Osuntokun, reacting to the withdrawal of computerized tickets to Obi and Otti when he was featured as a visitor on Come up TV on Tuesday, stated Abure’s resolution to make a U-turn just a few weeks after his pronouncement confirmed he had an ulterior motive.
The ex-campaign DG additionally raised issues that the social gathering couldn’t afford to have a southern nationwide chairman when the presidential standard-bearer was equally from the South.
He stated the social gathering wanted to strike a steadiness to keep away from giving Nigerians the notion that it was a regional association.
“It’s not for him (Abure) to resolve who would be the candidate or not. This can be a basic misunderstanding coming from somebody liable to a delusion of grandeur. How can a celebration chairman announce such a factor? It means he has already determined who will get the presidential ticket. It defies logic.
“The Labour Get together, on account of the energy and capability displayed (on the final election), had assured many who Obi and Otti would retain their tickets.
“However some vested pursuits, just like the ruling social gathering, for example, shall be within the subversion of the social gathering. One of the best ways to do this is to undergo the nationwide chairman. We noticed the one with the (Lamidi) Apapa’s personal. They’re at it once more.
“The reality is there isn’t a method you may maintain a conference with out the consent of INEC. For those who stage a conference wherein the principal stakeholders keep away and INEC remains to be not ready to offer the permitted authority, it’s clear. Look, this tendency of sit-tight syndrome is what’s principally improper with Africa,” he stated.
Dismissing Abure’s declare, Osuntokun stated, “Probably, Obi is more likely to be the social gathering’s candidate within the subsequent election. He’s from the South-East. So by the logic of Nigeria’s energy politics, the chairman of the social gathering shouldn’t come from the South. That’s logical.
“I don’t know the way this performs in his (Abure) thoughts. These are the type of issues that needs to be in his consideration.”
The Abia State LP chairman, Emmanuel Otti, stated, “It’s too early now to be speaking about 2027. No one is aware of who will reside past that. It is just God that may say.
“We’ve seen individuals who say they may do one factor and, on the finish of the day, will not be alive for that. So, solely God has the ultimate say.”
The Particular Adviser to the Abia State Governor on Political Affairs, Acho Obioma, stated, “Abure is stating his personal. Let all of us right here settle down. I can’t be a part of points with anyone. My recommendation is that no person ought to be a part of any points with him.”
When contacted, the Abia State Commissioner for Data, Okey Kanu, stated he was not competent to speak on that however needs to be left for Abure and others who he stated had been free to say no matter they wished.
He requested that the matter be left to these dealing with social gathering issues, including that, “We’re centered on our mandate to ship democracy dividend to Abia individuals.”
Efforts to succeed in the Chief Press Secretary to the Abia State Governor, Ukoha Njoku and the Governor’s Media Adviser, Ferdinand Ekeoma, failed as they might not be reached for his or her feedback.
Additionally, efforts to get reactions from Obi’s camp on the automated ticket failed.
As of the time of submitting the report, Obi’s marketing campaign spokesman, Yunusa Tanko, advised our correspondent “We don’t need to converse or say something in regards to the Labour Get together for now. We aren’t prepared to hitch points with anyone.”