A former National Treasurer of the Labour Party (LP), Oluchi Oparah, has debunked claims that former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, misused party funds during his campaign.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Oparah described the allegations made by LP chieftain Abayomi Arabambi as false and baseless. She insisted that Obi not only financed his entire campaign independently but also helped stabilise the party’s financial standing.
“There was nothing of such. Mr. Obi never spent any money meant for the party,” Oparah said. “In fact, he lifted the party from zero level to where it is today.”
According to her, before Obi joined the LP, the party was drowning in debt and struggling to pay salaries. His entry, she said, brought both credibility and financial relief.
“Mr. Obi fulfilled every righteousness financially towards the Labour Party. There was never a time he asked for a dime from the party — unlike what happens in other political parties,” she noted.
Oparah explained that campaign financing was structured in such a way that candidates operated their own campaign accounts, separate from the party’s official accounts. She added that Obi personally funded several party programmes out of pocket because the Labour Party had “not a dime.”
“He spent a lot of money on the Labour Party. We have programmes that Mr. Obi solely financed. Obi spent from his money because the Labour Party did not have a dime,” she said.
The former treasurer also accused the ruling APC-led government of lacking accountability and urged Nigerians to focus their scrutiny on those in power, rather than targeting Obi with unsubstantiated claims.
She challenged Obi’s accusers to show proof of any payments allegedly made to the Labour Party’s accounts.
“As far as I am concerned, Mr. Obi was the only person who showed genuine interest in contesting under the Labour Party platform,” she stated. “Anyone claiming otherwise should show us the account to which they paid what they say they paid.”
Oparah concluded by hailing Obi’s well-known philanthropic nature, noting that his generosity predates his presidential ambition.
“Anyone who knows Mr. Obi knows his act of charity is like the air he breathes — constant and natural,” she said.
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