By Chesa Chesa
For spurning internal dispute mechanisms of the party after her allegations of abuse of office against the national chairman, Julius Abure, the Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday suspended its National Treasurer, Ms Oluchi Okpara.
The suspension, which is for an initial period of six months, was approved by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) and announced to the press by the LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.
Ifoh explained that Okpara brazenly flouted an agreement reached at a meeting of the party hierarchy for an investigation committee to look into her allegations, which include financial irregularities against the chairman, and report back to the NWC.
He disclosed that Okpara disregarded the efforts of the investigation committee and did not honour the invitation of the disciplinary committee, but resorted to disparaging the party through the press.
“We see this as an affront to the party leadership and millions of our members who are watching on how their party’s image which they have laboured hard to build is trolled by one ingrate.
“The disciplinary committee has however recommended to the National Executive Council of the party through the National Working Committee that Ms Oluchi Opara be suspended from the Labour Party for a minimum of 6 months. This suspension is with immediate effect”, Ifoh said.
While countering Okpara’s allegations, the party spokesman declared that she turned out to be a mole representing the interests of five renegade former NWC members who had since been shown the way out of LP.
He said: “Ms Oluchi Opara, a key member of the executive turned to be a mole in the house and has continued networking with the expelled members of the party leadership.
“It may surprise you to know that the text of the Press conference by Ms Opara was actually written for her since November 2023 by the camp of the dissident former members, a copy she tendered in one of our December NWC meeting.
“The leadership of the party made series of efforts to dissuade her from not pulling down the roof of the home she has lived in for 10 years as the longest serving Treasurer in history of political party in Nigeria.”
Regarding Okpara’s allegations, he stated: “Ms Opara alleged that Abure forged signature of the late chairman two months after his death to withdraw huge sums of money but her memory was so short to remember that Abure only emerged as the Chairman about four months after the demise of the former Chairman. She also forgot in a hurry that she and the late chairman exclusively operated the accounts of the party.
“When Abure assumed office, it dawned on him as the Chief Accounting Officer of the party to build a proper accounting method which never existed throughout the eight years (as at 2022) of Ms Opara’s service as the Treasurer of the party.
“Real reason she was made a Treasurer is a discussion for another day but we dare her to present a single document of the party’s financial records from 2014 to 2021.
“The problem this NWC has with her was the insistence that a proper financial record be kept. The party has grown from portfolio party to a dinosaur party it has become in the last one year and there arose a need to do the proper thing.
“She also alleged that the party amassed a whopping N3.5 billion from sale of forms from the 2023 election. We wished that was true but the truth is that the party realised only N1.2 billion only from not just sale of forms, but also from other sources including membership cards, donations amongst others.
“The party through the campaign bodies and support groups realized another N800.000.000, a fund solely managed by the Campaign Organisation, not the party.
“The party accounts have been properly audited up till June 2023 and have since been submitted and received by INEC.
“The allegation that audited account was doctored is a matter of libel which we have taken note. She will be made to give further clarification as how banks transactions are falsified as auditors only work with evidences of transactions emanating from statements from the banks.”
Ifoh added that the LP had been a target of the system since it emerged as a formidable platform to challenge the oppressive government run by the big political parties that had been in power, but the party would not succumb to such machinations.
