Obi Funded His 2023 Campaign Personally – Former Labour Party Treasurer

Oluchi Oparah, the former National Treasurer of the Labour Party (LP), has strongly denied claims that Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, misused party funds during his 2023 presidential campaign.

In an interview on Channels Television Thursday, Oparah refuted allegations made by LP member Abayomi Arabambi, emphasizing that Obi independently financed his campaign and provided crucial financial assistance to the party.

Oparah explained that before Obi joined the Labour Party, the party was deeply in debt and struggling to pay its employees’ salaries. According to her, Obi fulfilled all his financial obligations to the party, even making donations from his own resources.

“Mr. Obi met every financial requirement expected of him and never asked the party for a single dime, unlike other political parties,” she asserted.

The former treasurer also addressed the structure of campaign financing, clarifying that every candidate running for office is entitled to manage their campaign accounts independently of the party’s official funds.

She pointed out that the Labour Party also maintained separate financial accounts for its operations.

“Obi spent a significant amount of his own money on the Labour Party; he funded several of our programs by himself. The Labour Party was without funds, and Obi provided the necessary resources,” Oparah added during the interview.

She further criticized what she described as the lack of accountability in the current administration under the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging Nigerians to focus on holding the ruling party accountable rather than attacking Obi.

Oparah also challenged anyone accusing Obi of financial misconduct to present concrete evidence of such actions.

“As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Obi was the only person who showed genuine interest in running under the Labour Party banner. Those making these claims should provide the specific accounts where they allegedly paid any funds to the Labour Party,” she stated.

She also commended Obi for his consistent philanthropy, noting that his charitable efforts predate his presidential candidacy.

“Anyone familiar with Mr. Obi knows that his charitable nature is as natural to him as breathing,” Oparah remarked, stressing, “Mr. Obi never touched party funds for his campaign.”

Oparah concluded by noting that Obi’s financial contributions helped the Labour Party recover from a state of severe debt, enabling the settlement of outstanding obligations, including staff salaries.