The crisis rocking the Labour Party took a new dimension on Wednesday as the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party handed a six-month suspension to its National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara.
The suspension was announced at a press conference on Wednesday at the party secretariat in Abuja.
Opara had, on Monday, challenged LP national chairman, Julius Abure, at a press conference to account for an alleged N3.5 billion raised from the sale of nomination forms and fundraising activities in the build-up to the 2023 general election.
While speaking on AriseTV on Tuesday, Opara said the Abure-led NWC is working hand-in-hand with the Edo State Government which is governed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Reacting to her allegations on Wednesday, the national publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, described Opara as a “mole” who was being used by dissidents in the party.
Ifoh told journalists that the decision to sanction her was taken after she failed to honour an invitation by the party’s NWC to resolve the conflict.
Ifoh said: “After the 2023 general election, Labour Party was marked for total annihilation by the system for daring to upstage the status quo of the political class. Little did we know that the fumigation was far from complete until late last year when signs emanated that our National Treasurer, Ms. Oluchi Opara, a key member of the executive, turned out to be a mole in the house and has continued networking with the expelled members of the party leadership.
“Convinced that the treasurer is on a mission to stifle life out of our very cherished party, an emergency NWC was summoned on February 13. Arising from the meeting, the NWC set up a disciplinary committee to try Opara for bringing the party to disrepute.
“To exercise its powers as contained in the party’s Constitution with the intention of a fair hearing, the NWC extended an invitation to her to appear before it today, February 14 by 10 a.m. to discuss the development. The party regrets that the treasurer shunned the invitation by the disciplinary committee to clear herself.
“We see this as an affront to the party leadership and millions of our members who are watching how their party’s image which they have laboured hard to build is trolled by one ingrate.
“The disciplinary committee has, however, recommended to the National Executive Council of the party through the NWC that Ms. Oluchi Opara be suspended from Labour Party for a minimum of six months. This suspension is with immediate effect.”
“We sincerely regret this development. We, however, urge our teeming members to understand that this is a price to pay for success. We will continue to reform the party until we achieve the best, good enough to drive our New Nigeria agenda.”
