A Chieftain of the Labour Party, Faduri Joseph on Friday demanded the Presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, to account for the campaign funds received during the 2023 elections.
Our correspondent had reported that ahead of the 2023 presidential election which held on February 25, 2023, the Labour Party standard bearer, had launched an official website to promote his campaign bland solicit funds ahead of that poll.
In a major crowdfunding, Nigerians in diaspora moved to Raise $150m, from Obi’s supporters in the diaspora and N100 billion from those in Nigeria.
The LP presidential candidate, however lost the poll to APC Presidential candidate, President Bola Tinubu.
According to the LP chieftain, the presidential candidate and even the party cannot question the ruling All Progressives Congress government of accountability when it lack such.
Joseph, a former presidential aspirant of Labour Party, in an open letter to the leadership of the party on the 2023 election, through his media Director, Rev. Emmanuel Olorunmagba, in Kaduna said Obi rendering account of the campaign funds is a sign of good leadership.
He added that the presidential candidate in doing so(giving account) was an indication that if given power, transparency and accountability would be the watchword of the party.
He said, “Since many Nigerians all around the world supported Labour Party and her presidential candidate financially, by now one would have expected the party and most importantly the presidential candidate in person of Peter Obi to release report of the support the party got from many Nigerians both home and abroad. How much we received, spent, and what we have left; if any, to plan ahead for next election.
“It is imperative to sit down and look through the lenses of 2023 and see what we did wrong. Where we lacked strength and how to work on these lapses for future elections because if we don’t look and examine inwardly, how we got it wrong in 2023 election then we will repeat the same mistakes in future elections and get same result.
“Our Candidate cannot claim to be an alternative to corruption but refused to come out clean to Nigerians and the party of how much kindhearted Nigerians donated, both home and abroad to support the movement and the new Nigeria agenda for the world to trust and believe us next time.
“So I am calling on His Excellency Mr Peter Obi, to give account of money donated to his campaign from both home and abroad; for Nigerians to see through, then we can criticize the present government in power for corruption and flaws in administration.
“You can not question the government in power for accountability when we lack such. We cannot talk of corruption about this government when we cannot explain millions of dollars, pounds sterling, and other foreign currencies given to our party in 2023.
“We cannot chide this administration of APC of failed policies when we as a party failed in just governing our own party.
“The New Nigeria project must start now, we in Labour Party must not just see ourselves as just fortunate and a better or choice alternative without starting to sell a new agenda to Nigerians now, not to wait till when election is few months away before we put our party together and position it for take over.”
Meanwhile, the Spokesman of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, could not be reached as a telephone call put to him by our correspondent rang out twice.
