December 14, (THEWILL) – Days after the national leadership of the Labour Party, LP, sacked its Acting National Publicity Secretary and dissolved the Executives of the Ogun state chapter of the Party, a fresh crisis has hit the party in Taraba State
Chairperson of the party in the State, Mrs Esther Gulum, was on Tuesday, suspended for six months over the alleged misappropriation of N20 million campaign funds handed over to her for a recent presidential campaign rally.
Briefing newsmen on the development, Taraba LP Organising Secretary, Peter Philip, said the party had lost confidence in her leadership, hence the suspension, as well as the passing of a “vote of no Confidence.”
The suspension from office, according to Philip, is to enable the party executives to thoroughly investigate how the said money was “misused by her.”
The aggrieved executive members also accused her of engaging in anti-party affairs including being an employee of the state government and using her personal accounts to run the affairs of the party in the state.
They alleged a “lack of accountability and transparency in running the affairs of the party in the state” claiming she constantly disobeys the party constitution since taking the leadership position.
Reacting to the allegations, Gulum claimed the male-dominated executive was witch-hunting her on account of her gender.
She accused the youth leader of the party of a calumny campaign against her in his desperation to make money.
Affirming her uprightness, Gulum, who admitted that N17 million was approved for the rally, said N9 million was released to her for the exercise, which account, she had rendered to the exco.
She said “The executives are only out to witch-hunt me because I am a woman. I am not a corrupt leader.
“It is childish and false to say Peter Obi’s campaign council gave me N20 million and I embezzled it, I was not given N20 million, I was given only N9 million and I used it judiciously with a clear record.
“It is also false to say that I am running the party office with my immediate family and that I engage in anti-party. I want the national secretariat and all supporters of our party to disregard the information, as it is purely false, and targeted at tarnishing my good image and that of my family. I am a loyal party woman and I am Obedient.”a
