Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party, has refuted allegations made by the embattled National Treasurer, Ms. Oluchi Okpara, accusing him of misappropriating ₦3.5 billion in party funds. Abure addressed the issue on live television (Arise TV), presenting copies of cheques allegedly signed by Ms. Okpara in December 2023.
He denied restricting the National Treasurer from the party’s financial affairs and listed her duties, including receiving money and signing cheques. Abure mentioned that due to electronic payments, funds for the party are automatically transferred. However, he did not address Ms. Okpara’s claim of not receiving alerts into the bank accounts.
Abure disclosed that between July and December of the previous year, he and Ms. Okpara signed several cheques paid out by the party. Counteracting corruption allegations, he stated that the total receipts into the party during the alleged period were ₦1.3 billion, with an additional ₦700 million received for the campaign. Abure challenged Ms. Okpara to provide records supporting the claim of ₦3.5 billion misappropriation.
Additionally, Abure addressed speculations about his intention to contest in the Edo State governorship election, asserting that he is not interested in contesting and emphasized the need for a transparent, free, fair, and credible process.
