Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party, has refuted allegations of financial mismanagement related to the 2023 presidential campaign of Peter Obi. Abure responded to claims made by the suspended National Treasurer of the party, Oluchi Opara, who accused him of diverting N3.5 billion from the sale of nomination forms and campaign donations.
According to Abure, the handling of campaign funds was the responsibility of key figures in the campaign management team. Dr. Doyin Okupe, the former Director-General of the Obi-Datti campaign, managed the funds in the Southern States, with Akin Osuntokun taking over from Okupe. For the Northern States, funds were managed by the Vice Presidential Candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed. Abure also stated that Peter Obi himself was responsible for funding the election.
Abure further clarified that the funds were deposited into specific bank accounts—Zenith Bank, Sterling Bank, Heritage Bank, and Globus Bank—under the signatories of Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo. He emphasized that the Labour Party was not involved in these transactions.
Abure condemned the accusations against him and the party, labeling them as mischievous. He asserted his commitment to defending the party’s leadership and vowed to continue building the Labour Party into a significant force in Nigerian politics.