₦airaland Forum

Former National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has warned the Nigeria Democratic Congress against allowing individuals and support groups to raise funds for its 2027 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, without the party’s knowledge and approval.

Abure said allowing such arrangements could undermine the party’s authority and expose it to the kind of crisis that rocked the LP during the 2023 general elections.

He spoke against the backdrop of a fresh fundraising initiative launched by activist and Obi supporter, Aisha Yesufu, on Wednesday, urging Nigerians to contribute toward Obi’s presidential campaign.

Yesufu announced the initiative in a video shared on X, saying Obi should not be left to shoulder the financial burden of the campaign alone.

She urged Nigerians to take ownership of the political project by making contributions, irrespective of the amounts involved.

However, Abure, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, warned that the party must not allow individuals to control campaign donations without its supervision.

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Mr Peter Obi.
He warned that allowing Yesufu to raise funds without the NDC’s approval could have legal implications.

“So, if the NDC Campaign Council does not want Aisha to collect those funds, then she has no authority to do that. And if she does, it amounts to a criminal matter that can be prosecuted,” he said.

The former LP chairman said he was not surprised by the development, alleging that a similar arrangement involving Obi’s loyalists contributed to the crisis that engulfed the party after the 2023 elections.

He said although Obi had informed him that campaign donations would be handled by certain individuals, he allowed the arrangement because his priority was the success of the presidential campaign.

“I am not surprised. That was the exact thing they did in the Labour Party. However, I was informed. It wasn’t as if I was not aware. In fairness, Obi mentioned it to me that he wanted the campaign funds, donations and everything to be handled by some persons.

“So, I allowed them to do it, since our aim was not to make money. My objective was the success of the campaign. It was not about making money from the process or what I could gain,” he said.

He, however, insisted that fundraising by individuals and support groups must be conducted with the knowledge and approval of the political party.

According to him, the party owns the political platform on which candidates contest elections and must therefore retain oversight of campaign financing.

Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Osa Director, expressed confidence that Yesufu had the blessing of the party leadership.

Director said he was unaware of the fundraising initiative but believed Yesufu would have obtained the approval of the party hierarchy and its candidates.

He said various support groups, including the Obidients and Kwankwasiyya movements, were working toward the common objective of securing victory for Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, in the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

“Aisha is a member of the party and I believe that whatever she’s doing would have the blessing of the party hierarchy to do that. If it doesn’t, I’m sure the party will also make its feelings known through the appropriate quota.

“But I want to believe that she has the blessing of the party because we are all on the same page. We are pursuing the same goal and the same objective,” Director said.

Validated:
Wetin concern Abure with NDC, is LP not his thriving party?

Validated:
Wetin concern Abure with NDC, is LP not his thriving party?

ednut1:
What kind of obsession is this

emkz:
Without Aisha Yesufu being a member of LP, Peter Obi handed over finance to Aisha Yesufu to which Abure naively agreed.

When the party sent a list of party polling agents to Aisha Yesufu, Aisha said they were fake and refused to pay. She ordered party agents to work and submit their account numbers later. Party agents smelt the deceit and refused to work.

She caused problems for the party as she failed to honour tradition. The party manages polling unit agents, not an individual, and certainly not a non-committed party member.

In the last AMAC elections, ADC agents were not paid, and there was an allegation that another party paid them instead.

So Abure is in a position to warn NDC not to allow Aisha Yesufu undermine NDC as she undermined LP.

Ofunaofu:
Are you even a member of the LP to know this, or did you just conjure up this lie and falsehood out of thin air?

And I hope you’re not mixing up the Obidient Movement, what they did in 2023, and how they managed their funds, of which they gave an account of those funds, with the inability of the Abure-led Labour Party to properly manage and fund its party agents.

emkz:
Without Aisha Yesufu being a member of LP, Peter Obi handed over finance to Aisha Yesufu to which Abure naively agreed.

When the party sent a list of party polling agents to Aisha Yesufu, Aisha said they were fake and refused to pay. She ordered party agents to work and submit their account numbers later. Party agents smelt the deceit and refused to work.

She caused problems for the party as she failed to honour tradition. The party manages polling unit agents, not an individual, and certainly not a non-committed party member.

In the last AMAC elections, ADC agents were not paid, and there was an allegation that another party paid them instead.

So Abure is in a position to warn NDC not to allow Aisha Yesufu undermine NDC as she undermined LP.

emkz:
Without Aisha Yesufu being a member of LP, Peter Obi handed over finance to Aisha Yesufu to which Abure naively agreed.

When the party sent a list of party polling agents to Aisha Yesufu, Aisha said they were fake and refused to pay. She ordered party agents to work and submit their account numbers later. Party agents smelt the deceit and refused to work.

She caused problems for the party as she failed to honour tradition. The party manages polling unit agents, not an individual, and certainly not a non-committed party member.

In the last AMAC elections, ADC agents were not paid, and there was an allegation that another party paid them instead.

So Abure is in a position to warn NDC not to allow Aisha Yesufu undermine NDC as she undermined LP.

aworatak:
Witchcraft comes in various forms.
Abure is an example of those forms of witchcraft.

bigpicture001:
U don't get it...

Obi came in and labour said we dnt have money or political representatives who can make donations...you will run this solo...

He doesn't disagree with the situation, but he knows far too well, that Jonathan lost election because 80% of his electionpeering funds never got to the intended ppl..almost all Nigerians are into politics for the money...so what he did was to make donations to the party and also allowed the party to use his image to raise money for the campaigns..

Knowing control of the money will.layer turn issues are a lot of LP top members are hawks..he opened his own private account for a support group which is not about labour but about promoting him as a project..

For this group ,he appointed Aisha Yusuf to take care of the funds..it was funding raising for the groups that made him to travels out world wide seeking financial support ND got a lot of funds infact in hard currency..

The money the group secured quadruple what the party could raise for his campaigns, the leadership of LP got angry ...they wanted to lay their hands on that money.obi blocked them by making himself and Aisha the only signatory to the funds..

As expected a lot of stories came up with party campaign money to prosecute election, but the group was ready and handy to cover loops holes..

Obi is not a signatory to party generated funds for his own elections, he refused to come in direct contact with any money the party got for his campaign, instead directed them to use it for the purposes meant for it..if they even didn't do, he doesn't complain, cus he has long made up his mind that political money in a party is jamaboree money..

When election finished, he doesn't care about the accounting of the party money, he never asked questions even dou he was the main donor..

Instead he sat down with Aisha and they did account of how the private group account is used, Aisha gave her account to his satisfaction and the groups secretary satisfaction...Aisha was paid what she agreed she will b paid for her works, which is huge, but that is an agreement .


Obi took the balance sheet of the groups account and went back abroad and called same town hall.meetings he first called to raise money, there he did account of the money he got from them, he did this account to more than 12 groups abroad with participated financially to his campaigns ND told them what is left in the account...

That is how it went down..I know this, because I am an insider.

This time around, he wanted to use same style, but Dickson wanted control of everything, and refused him to operate a separate group finding..Dickson told him ,he ( party) can raise all the funds required effectively and doesn't want a separate group funding support...

Because he wants to fall in line, that is why he didn't go abroad for those town hall meeting ND didn't call for campaign funding in a separate body ...

Obi, is always upright..now let's see where Dickson will get all the multi multi billions for this national election...Dickson may have be handicapping this campaign all cuz of pride without knowing it.There is a reason only current governors and ex military leaders can run for presidents.


It is a way way too much expensive project..we are watching Dickson and his I them all attitude. Kwankwanso has already started in a meeting that aside his obligated donations, he doesn't have much money to contribute..

mycar:
Abure has already made it clear that he does not intend to support Peter Obi, so we don't expect him to say anything that will help the NDC or Peter Obi.

emkz:
1. Did Aisha Yesufu get the consent of NDC leadership before asking for donations?

2. Did Peter Obi endorse Aisha's fundraising initiative?

3. Who is controlling the account? Is it Aisha Yesufu? She studied microbiology. What does she know about public accounting?

4. Osa Director said he wasn't aware if NDC endorsed Aisha's fundraising drive. Aisha said the party had not made account numbers available for donations, reason she created her own. If we go by Aisha's logic, then every one can create their own account numbers for donations so the chaos can begin.

5. Aisha Yesufu has not exactly shown probity and accountability for donations she managed in 2023. She owes the public a comprehensive statement of how she spent the money. We need the account statement to correlate with what she released.

6. Why can't she respect Dickson? She thinks she is a parallel party leader.

7. Aisha, we need a comprehensive weekly report of inflows and outflows into that account. We also need a proposal on how you intend to spend public money. They are public donations. You must prove to us that you understand budgeting and expenditure. You are accountable to the public since you asked the public for money.

8. Aisha, you have talents in wooing. We must commend your courage. However, wooing comes with responsibilities of servicing as you yourself said. You must service the public with information about finances after wooing them to contribute to your pot of donations.