Labour Party (LP) has described the recent corruption allegation purportedly rocking the party as “mere social media lies” orchestrated by the opposition to discredit the ‘OBIdient Movement’.
Ogun State Executive Council of the party had on Thursday, December 1, expelled the Director-General of Peter Obi- Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Doyin Okupe, and 11 others for refusing to pay their membership dues, among other corruption allegations.
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Arabambi Abayomi, in a recent interview, alleged a grand conspiracy against him by the Doyin Okupe-led group in the party, he has also vowed to expose him (Okupe) and other members of the party involved in the alleged diversion of funds meant to prosecute the party’s presidential election.
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Reacting, the National Secretary of the Party, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim, who spoke exclusively in a telephone conversation with Quest Times on Friday, debunked the allegations for “lacking substantial proof”.
“Social media can insinuate a lot of things. They (the opposition) can raise issues that are non-issues at all. So, any allegation whatever about the Campaign DG is a totally false narrative put up by our opponents, having seen the rising force with the emergence of our presidential candidate (Peter Obi).
“They (opposition) are now coming out to disintegrate the party (LP), blackmail its leaders and candidates. I want to tell you that what you are hearing or seeing written by one of those media are just lies and should be disregarded,” he said.
On the implication of these allegations on the party ahead of the 2023 elections, he said; “You know PDP also had the same issue with its party chairman who was alleged to have squandered billions of naira and the same go to the presidential candidate of APC (Bola Tinubu) who was alleged to have submitted a false certificate to INEC and this doesn’t affect them in any way.
“So, what of this news (corruption allegation) that some people just bring that they cannot even substantiate? There is no implication.”
In similar development, Quest Times spoke to one of the Labour party chieftains in Lagos who shed more light on the recent crisis in the party.
According to him, the corruption allegation was a make-believe put up by some party members in Ogun to get back at the party’s campaign DG.
“These are internal party antics. Arabambi has been a problem to the party. They were the same people who came to install Salako and co. So, they have been a source of problem for all of us.
“They are only trying to get back at Okupe for not dancing to their tune. There is no corruption in the party. They decided to create an imaginary corruption to be able to suspend him (Okupe) from Ogun Labour Party Chapter.
“This doesn’t have any effect on him as being the DG of the OBIDATTI Campaign. He was only expelled from the party in Ogun. Though they have the power to expel since you join the party from the ward level but it has no effect on the party at the national,” the source disclosed.
