Labour Party crisis: NWC slams 6 months suspension on Treasurer

 •Accuses her of working with renegades to destroy party

THE National Working Committee, NWC, of Labour Party, LP, has ordered the immediate suspension of the party’s National Treasurer, Ms. Oluchi Okpara, for bringing the party to disrepute by making unsubstantiated allegations of financial impropriety against the National Chairman, Comrade Julius Abure.

Her suspension came barely 24 hours after the party announced the constitution of a disciplinary panel to investigate her demand that Abure be made to account for N3.5billion, being proceeds of the sale of forms and revenue generated from other sources during the 2023 general elections.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, who announced the decision of the NWC at a briefing in Abuja yesterday, accused the treasurer of playing out the script of disgruntled former party members.

He said:  “At the meeting held Tuesday evening, February 13, 2024, in Abuja, in exercise of its powers as contained in the party's constitution, with the intention of a fair hearing, the NWC extended an invitation to the national treasurer to appear before it on Wednesday (yesterday) February 14, 2024, by 10am (12 hours) to discuss the recent development.

“The party regrets that the national treasurer shunned the invitation by the disciplinary committee to clear herself and her actions.

“We see this as an afront on the party leadership and millions of our members who are watching 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, NEC, of the party, through the National Working Committee, NWC, that Ms Oluchi Opara be suspended from Labour Party for a minimum of six months. This suspension is with immediate effect. “

He declared that after the 2023 general election, Labour Party was marked for total annihilation by the system for daring to upstage the status quo of the political class, adding that up till today, the battle over the soul of the party had continued to intensify.

Ifoh said further:  “However, with God being on our side, we have refused to be strangulated, in spite of all the subterfuge deployed by the perpetrators and their agents.

“It is no longer news that a few months ago, five members of the National Working Committee of the party chose to be agents of disintegration and the whole nation stood by us as we flushed them out.

“Smarting from that euphoria, little did we know that the fumigation was far from complete until late last year when signs emanated that our National Treasurer, 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.

“Before I address her trumped-up allegations, point by point, it would be important to let the world know that when someone is compromised, albeit pecuniary, and when you can't match the stake, nothing on earth can stop the inevitable.

“Because the party was smarting from a crisis and afraid of further crisis, it pleaded with the Ms Opara to toe the path of honour not to conflagrate the party and even made her some promises.

“But her insistence of a brand new car, a duplex in the highbrow area in Abuja and a huge sum as her price eventually truncated whatever pacification efforts.

“Now, to some of her ridiculous allegations bordering on abuse of office and misappropriation of party fund, Julius Abure took over the rein of the party in 2021 after the death of the former Chairman, Alhaji A. Abdulsalam, in December of 2020. 

''A former Deputy National Chairman, Mrs Maria Lebeke, emerged as the acting national chairman with, of course, Abure as the national secretary. 

''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 naira 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 from not just sale of forms but also other sources, including membership cards, donations, among 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's accounts have been properly audited up till June 2023 and have since been submitted and received by INEC. It may surprise you to know that not many political parties have submitted their 2022 audited accounts.

“The allegation that audited account was doctored is a matter of libel which we have taken note of.  She will be made to give further clarification on how bank transactions are falsified, as auditors only work with evidences of transactions emanating from statements from the banks.

“The NWC, as one its mandate to resolve any crisis in the party through its internal mechanisms procedure, met on Friday (09-02-2024) last week and raised a five-man investigation committee to take a critical look at the allegations that emanated from the national treasurer with the mandate to within one month resolve the impasse and make recommendation to the committee of the whole.

“The national treasurer and, indeed, all members of the NWC were present at the meeting and endorsed the committee.

“It was, indeed, a rude shock that in total disregard to the NWC position and trouble shooting efforts, the national treasurer, three days after, reneged on the understanding that all attacks and diatribes cease for peace to reign.''