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Aisha Yesufu has responded to the claim by the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, that she and Pastor Itua Ighodalo were responsible for managing the campaign funds donated to Peter Obi’s presidential campaign for the 2023 election.
While addressing journalists on Monday, September 9, 2024, after the party’s National Executive Council, Abure dismissed the allegation that he embezzled the party’s campaign donations.
He said there was no way he could have embezzled the party’s campaign funds since he was not directly involved in the management of the funds.
Abure said, “The party and I have been accused of being responsible for Peter Obi’s failure in the 2023 general election. They stated that the campaign, election donations and funds for the payment of agents were mismanaged by the party hence Peter Obi failed in the election.
“The election funding was done by Obi himself. As per the donations, the party was not involved. The signatories to these accounts were Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo. They were equally responsible for the payment of Polling Unit Agents.
“Consequently, it is mischievous for any person to accuse me and the party of mismanagement of these funds. At no time did the Party or its officials engage in any financial transactions as it relates to the presidential campaign.”
Aisha Yesufu replies Abure
Reacting to Abure’s claim, Yesufu, who was the chairman of the campaign fundraising team, described the Labour Party National Chairman as a liar.
The activist asked Abure to disclose how he spent the proceeds of the ‘Labour Party ₦1,000 Challenge’ campaign donations which according to her started in 2022.
Yesufu said Abure also opened an account to receive campaign donations on behalf of the Labour Party, saying she did not have access to the account.
The activist, therefore, asked Abure to account for the funds donated to the party and the money the party used to procure forms for its candidates.
She said, “That statement Abure made was a big fat lie. He thinks it was like those days when they used to do their Labour unionism when nobody had internet or keep records; those days they got away with everything. When it comes to certain things, I am a very detailed and process-driven person.
“There were times when the fundraising team was frustrated with me because of my insistence on due process. Before Mr Obi came out with his campaign account, the Labour Party had theirs. I have with me here a ‘Labour Party ₦1,000 Challenge’ post that was tweeted on 24/11/22. It said ‘Take ownership of the LP campaign by donating a minimum of ₦1,000 to Labour Party Zenith Account 1225832294.
“When that account was opened by Abure, I was very angry. I remember some people harmlessly saying it was no big deal since it was for the same Labour Party campaign. But I insisted that it is not the same thing because we don’t have access to any money that went into the LP account and therefore can’t use it to facilitate the electioneering campaign.
“So for Julius Abure to come out in 2024 to blatantly lie that they were not involved in any campaign, saying it was only Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua (is unbelievable). By the way, there are three signatories, not two as he said. Up till now, the LP has not accounted for the money the public donated to them neither have they accounted for the money used to procure forms.”
The embezzlement allegations between Aisha and Abure came six months after the former announced that the fundraising team received donations totalling ₦596m from the party and Obi supporters.