Aisha Yesufu claims that Labour Party chairman Abure did not remit the funds raised during the ‘N1,000 Challenge’ donation campaign, sparking controversy within the party.
Monday’s statement made by the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, claiming that Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo were solely responsible for managing LP presidential candidate Peter Obi’s campaign funds during the 2023 election has been rejected by The Obi-Datti fundraising team.
After a National Executive Council meeting on Monday, Abure informed journalists in Abuja that the accusation of him stealing campaign donations from the party was completely untrue.
The controversial leader of the nation stressed that he lacked access to any funds as he had no direct involvement in overseeing the presidential candidate’s finances.
According to him, there had been an allegation that both himself and the party were accountable for Peter Obi’s loss in the 2023 national election. The accusation claimed that campaign strategies, electoral contributions, and agent payments were mishandled by their party resulting in a failed bid by Peter Obi.
Obi took care of the election funding independently, and there was no involvement by the party in terms of donations. Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo were signatories to these accounts, equally responsible for compensating Polling Unit Agents.
Hence, it would be unfair to accuse me and my political party of mishandling these funds. The presidential campaign was never associated with any financial deals involving the Party or its members.
In a viral video that was posted on her official YouTube account on Tuesday, Yesufu who also served as the chairperson of the campaign fundraising team expressed her disbelief in Abure’s words by calling him dishonest.
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The activist urged the national chairman to disclose how he utilized the funds garnered from his ongoing fundraising campaign, dubbed as the “Labour Party N1,000 Challenge.”
“That statement made by Abure was a complete falsehood,” he stated. “He seems to think we are in the era when labor unions thrived without internet or proper documentation, and got away with everything. I am meticulous and process-oriented particularly regarding certain matters.”
At certain points, the fundraising team grew exasperated with me due to my unwavering commitment to following proper procedures. Despite this, it is important to note that prior to Mr Obi’s announcement of his campaign account, the Labour Party had already established theirs. As proof, I possess a post from November 24th which promoted the ‘Labour Party N1,000 Challenge’. This initiative encouraged individuals to take an active role in supporting LP’s campaign by donating a minimum sum of N1,000 into their Zenith Account with number 1225832294.”
Abure’s opening of that account made me extremely angry. Although some individuals suggested it was harmless since it was for the Labour Party campaign, I strongly disagreed. Unlike LP’s account, we had no access to any funds deposited into Abure’s account and therefore could not utilize those resources during our electioneering efforts.
It is incredulous that Julius Abure would assert in 2024 that they had no part in the campaign and solely attribute it to Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua, considering there are actually three signatories involved as opposed to his claim of two. Furthermore, the LP has not provided a transparent account for both public donations procured or funds expended on form acquisition up until now.
Six months after Yesufu’s announcement that the fundraising team received N596m in donations from party supporters, obedient movements and well-meaning Nigerians worldwide, allegations and counter-allegations have emerged.
According to her, Obi utilized N744.5 million towards legal proceedings after his defeat in the presidential election of 2023.
