Oluchi Oparah, a former National Treasurer of the Labour Party (LP), denied Wednesday that the former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, interfered with party funds during his 2023 presidential campaign.
Oprah claimed that he personally funded his actions and even contributed monetarily to the party.
According to her, “There was nothing of such. Mr Obi never spent any money meant for the party,” Oparah said on Channels Television when asked to react to the allegation by a chieftain of the LP, Abayomi Arabambi, that Obi spent party funds on his campaign.
“In fact, he lifted the party from zero level to where it is today,” she added.
She claimed that when Obi defected to the party, the Labour Party was deeply in debt and unable to pay its staff’s salaries.
According to her, Obi satisfied all of his financial obligations and even donated to the party using his own resources.
“Mr Obi fulfilled every righteousness financially towards the Labour Party. There was never a time he asked for a dime from the party, unlike other political parties would do,” she stated.
The former treasurer also addressed the structure of campaign financing, stating that every candidate running for office was entitled to operate their own campaign account separate from the party’s official accounts.
She noted that the Labour Party also kept financial records for party events.
“He spent a lot of money on the Labour Party; we have programmes that Mr Obi solely financed by himself. Obi spent from his money because the Labour Party did not have a dime,” Oparah said during the interview.
She also blasted what she saw as a lack of responsibility in the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government, urging Nigerians to focus on holding the ruling party accountable for its actions rather than criticising the former governor of Anambra state.
She also urged people accusing he former governor of Anambra state of financial impropriety to publicly produce evidence of financial misconduct by Anambra State’s former governor.
“As far as I am concerned, Mr Obi was the only person who showed interest in contesting on the platform of the Labour Party. So, anyone claiming whatsoever should come out to show us the particular account to which they paid whatever thing they say they paid to the Labour Party,” she maintained.
Oprah applauded he former governor of Anambra state’s charitable nature, describing his philanthropic activities as a consistent trait long before his time as a presidential candidate, adding, “Anyone that knows Mr Obi very well knows that his act of charity is five and six, like the air he breathes.”
