Chairmen of the Labour Party, LP, in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Terrritory, FCT, have urged the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to compel the National Chairman, Julius Abure, to step down and allow a fair investigation into allegations of misappropriation of campaign funds levelled against him.
The chairmen, who were led by Solomon Ndem of Plateau State, made the call while addressing journalists in Abuja.
Recall that LP’s National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, had accused Abure of misappropriating the sum of N3.5 billion generated from the sales of nomination forms and other activities ahead of the 2023 general election.
But, Abure had denied the allegations.
However the party’s State chairmen are insisting that Abure must step down.
Ndem said: “We stand before you with a profound appreciation for the responsiveness of HE Peter G. Obi, a stalwart in our party, for his swift action in response to the call for the external auditing of the LP accounts.
“This gesture underscores his unwavering commitment to transparency and the principles of the New Nigeria project.
“However, we find ourselves at a critical juncture where we must address certain internal matters for the sake of our party’s integrity in the spirit of openness and accountability as elected chairmen of Labour Party in Nigeria, we wish to address certain concerns that have come to our attention.
“We are appealing to His Excellency, Peter G. Obi, Senator Ahmed Datti, and other distinguished personalities within the party to join us in requesting Barrister Julius Abure to step aside.”