The Obi-Datti fundraising team has dismissed claims made by the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, that only Aisha Yesufu and Pastor Itua Ighodalo were responsible for managing the campaign funds of Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election.
Abure had told reporters in Abuja after the National Executive Council meeting on Monday that allegations of his embezzlement of campaign donations were false. He emphasised that he was not involved in managing the funds, which he claimed were handled solely by Yesufu and Ighodalo. Abure also denied responsibility for the payment of polling unit agents, stating that it was managed independently of the party.
However, in response, Aisha Yesufu, chairperson of the campaign fundraising team, called Abure’s statement a lie in a video posted on her YouTube channel. She accused the party chairman of raising funds through the ‘Labour Party N1,000 Challenge’ since 2022 without providing any accountability. Yesufu highlighted that Abure’s statement falsely suggested that the party had no involvement in the campaign finances.
Yesufu stressed her dedication to transparency during the fundraising efforts and challenged Abure to explain how the funds from the ‘Labour Party N1,000 Challenge’ were managed. She also noted that the fundraising team had been frustrated by her insistence on due process, further distancing the team from the Labour Party’s internal finances.
This exchange follows an earlier announcement by Yesufu that the fundraising team received N596 million in donations from supporters and that Obi spent N744.5 million on legal battles after his 2023 presidential loss.