Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, on Wednesday, announced that a forensic audit is being carried out on the party’s accounts in line with his request.
The demand for an independent audit firm to probe the party account was made on March 14 after the former National Treasurer of the party, Oluchi Oparah, challenged the National Chairman, Julius Abure, to account for an alleged N3.5bn raised from the sale of nomination forms and fundraising activities in the build-up to the 2023 general election.
Opara also accused Abure of refusing to remit the donations received from Nigerians in the Diaspora during Obi’s election campaign tour in the United States.
But the Edo politician denied all her allegations when he was featured as a guest on Arise News in the wake of the allegation.
Armed with some documents and copies of cheques allegedly signed by the treasurer, Abure lamented that the corruption allegations against him were orchestrated to dent his image.
Following the controversy that trailed the claim, Obi appealed to the National Working Committee of the party to investigate the report.
The former Anambra governor further explained that one of the suggestions he raised was for the party to engage a reputable firm to audit the Labour Party’s accounts.
When asked about the update on the planned audit, the LP presidential candidate told newsmen in Abuja that it is in progress.
He also warned that an audit report is not something they are expected to feed the public daily, adding that it will be unveiled 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.”
Continuing, the former governor also assured that the ongoing leadership tussle between the Abure-led leadership and the Nigeria Labour Congress will be resolved.
Obi explained that it is not out of place for a political party to have internal strife.
According to him, the crisis happening in the Labour Party can’t be compared to the alleged implosion being experienced by the two leading parties in the country.
He said, “I can tell you that the issue will be solved. Let me tell you, the abnormalities you imagined 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 sad that we are always concerned about only parties. We are not even concerned with what ought to be our main concern for now, which is the future of the people. For now, let us focus on the poor 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 dealing with issues that affect ordinary Nigerians.”