In an open letter to the leadership of Labour Party on the 2023 Election, Comrade Faduri Joseph, a former presidential aspirant under Labour Party has called the party to account for the campaign funds received during the 2023 presidential election as a sign of good leadership, which will be an indication that if given power, transparency and accountability will be the watchword.
Addressing the Labour Party leadership, executives, honourables, and his fellow compatriots, he observed that, “no doubt our party ran a laudable election and the support we got from Nigerians, showed that power belongs to the people, and it reflected in the contention that trailed the election of 2023 that we almost won.
“Having said this, I would like to use this medium to thank the people of Nigeria who believed that ‘YES WE CAN’ and inspite of many people thinking Labour Party had no structure to make a statement, we made a landmark and kudos to all of us and the good people of Nigeria.
“After election, our flag bearer and party went to court to challenge the outcome of the election; to fight for true democracy and we came back short.
The activist also popularly called Fadojoe, added that, beside all these came so many trouble waters that the party went through from suspension of key leadership executives to the leadership cracking into three (3) factions as at today. He further stressed on issue of money mismanagement, corruption within the party that according to him are just to mention but a few.
“We are no doubt suppose to be a formidable and positive opposition to this govt that has come to sink our nation the more with never thought through policies that has crumbled our nation in every areas of the economy.
“Having said all this. It is also worthy of note that if we must be a party of choice for Nigerians then we must show leadership and show to the good people of Nigeria that the New Nigeria we talk about is possible and achievable through our party, then we must first and foremost come together and resolve all issues and cracks within the party for ‘a house divided against itself can not stand’. We must drop the hatchet and bring both warring parties in our party to a round table and resolve all our internal issues before we can say to be an opposition. We can not operate the same style of political mess we see in the ruling party we claim we are better than and yet doing worse, then we will become laughing stock to Nigerians, who want nothing more than just a nation where they can survive and live as citizens. Not a situation where they live like slaves in their own country.
He thus noted that since many Nigerians all around the world supported Labour Party and her presidential candidate financially, by now one would have expected the party and most importantly the presidential candidate in person of Mr. Peter Obi to release report of the support the party got from many Nigerians both home and abroad. “How much we received, spent, and what we have left; if any, to plan ahead for next election.
“Thirdly, it is imperative to sit down and look through the lenses of 2023 and see what we did wrong. Where we lack strength and how to work on these lapses for future elections, because if we don’t look and examine inwardly, how we got it wrong in 2023 election then we will repeat the same mistakes in future elections get same result.
“Our Candidate cannot claim to be an alternative to corruption, but refused to come out clean to Nigerians and the party of how much kindhearted Nigerians donated, both home and abroad to support the movement and the new Nigeria agenda for the world to trust and believe us next time. So I am calling on His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi to give account of money donated to his campaign from both home and abroad; for Nigerians to see through, then we can criticize the present government in power for corruption and flaws in administration.
“You can not question the government in power for accountability when we lack such. We can not talk of corruption about this government when we can not explain millions of dollars, pounds sterling, and other foreign currencies giving to our party in 2023. We can not chide this administration of APC of failed policies when we as a party failed in just governing our own party.
Concluding he stressed that, “the New Nigeria project must start now, we in Labour Party must not just see ourselves as just fortunate and a better or choiced alternative without starting to sell a new agenda to Nigerians now, not to wait till when election is few months away before we put our party together and position it for take over.