Labour Party Leaders Angry With Peter Obi Over Alleged Diversion of Party Donations to Private Account

Rumblings that may tear the Labour Party (LP) apart reared its ugly head as party leaders are angry with Peter Obi over campaign donations going into his private account instead of the party’s account, Raye24reporters reported.

According to our correspondent, the fratricide ongoing in the Labour Party between Peter Obi, a recent migrant from the PDP who grabbed the party’s presidential ticket, and founding members of the party led by Prof. Pat Utomi has taken an ugly turn as the former Anambra Governor, who faces allegations of staging the unlikely run for the presidency to fatten his bank accounts, moves to corner all donations by linking a preferred private account for deposits sourced from public fund-raising efforts for the campaign.

Multiple sources confirmed that the feud, which began when Obi started to sideline the leadership of the Labour Party in crucial functions of the campaign particularly fund-raising, was compounded this week when dissatisfied foundational members of the Labour Party frowned at what they called “the diversionary and corrupt management of donations” by the candidate and his henchmen.

According to reports, Obi had compelled the usage of one UBA bank account tied to Ativo Ltd in all public fund-raising efforts of the campaign, acting in opposition to the wishes of other members of the party, particularly those he met there, who preferred Labour Party’s official bank account for better transparency and joint management.

Obi’s actions fueled insinuations that he is running a one-man show focused on expanding his personal fortunes, even if the campaign ends in failure as it looks likely to.

“It is unfortunate that Obi has decided to run a one-man show, despite profiting from the generosity of those of us he met in the party,” an aggrieved member who craved anonymity told our reporter.

“It is almost as if he is merely using the platform and this presidential campaign to raise money and take care of his boys, the ones he brought from the PDP.

“Far from the well-known practice that political parties raise funds for campaign and manage the same, Obi has insisted that private accounts unknown to the party be used in receiving all funds raised from the public. None of the leadership of the party is a signatory to these strange bank accounts; only Obi can withdraw and disburse the funds as he wishes. This is now how to manage a campaign. It is fraudulent and we have resolved to resist him,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Obi has revved up his fund-raising tactics after facing criticism for charging Nigerians up to $1000 to attend an event organized to ostensibly outline his agenda, something he is yet to present despite many vague promises.

Obi, who is no stranger to financial scandals with a prominent feature in the infamous PANDORA PAPERS leak, has ignored the protests of the other members of his party and continues to freeze them out of his operations as a candidate.

“Apparently, he lacks the competence for inclusive leadership. He came into our party, took our ticket, and is now using our platform to raise funds that only he can account for. A man that wants to halt corruption in the country is perpetrating actions that promote corruption in his borrowed political party. That is the irony of Obi’s candidacy.”