The Labour Party chairmen in the 36 states on Saturday asked the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, to step aside for proper and fair investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds under his watch.
The chairmen made the call at a media briefing in Abuja.
The LP National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, on February 12 asked Abure to account for N3.5 billion generated from the sales of nomination forms and other activities ahead of the 2023 general election.
The party national leadership had since suspended the treasurer for six months.
The party chairman in Plateau State, Solomon Ndem, who read the text of the briefing, said: “We extend warm greetings to all faithful members of the Labour Party (LP) of Nigeria and to every Nigerian dedicated to the New Nigeria project. Your commitment and enthusiasm for positive change are truly commendable.
“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 wishes to address certain concerns that have come to our attention.
“We are appealing to His Excellency, Peter Obi, Senator Ahmed Datti, and other distinguished personalities within the party to join us in requesting Barr. Julius Abure to step aside.
“This step is essential to facilitate the establishment of an independent investigative panel that will thoroughly examine various allegations, including the misappropriation of funds level against him by the Treasurer of our Party and indeed the complaints of forgery and impersonation by a lof our party aggrieved members.
“It is crucial that no one acts as a judge in his own case, and we believe this measure will ensure a fair and impartial inquiry.
“Furthermore, we want to draw attention to a critical matter that could impact the upcoming off-season election in Edo State. We want to remind the party and the people of Edo State about the potential repercussions if we emerge victorious and these legal complexities surrounding the leadership of the party is not been addressed.”
