Akin Osuntokun, the former director-general of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Council, responded to reports alleging that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, did not pay some party agents. In an interview with PUNCH published on Sunday, Osuntokun acknowledged the party’s financial challenges, stating that they were unable to pay all their polling agents due to a lack of funds.
He explained, “We are not in a position to pay all our polling agents. That is the truth. We never had the money to do so. We had to narrow it down to where we can. We had a situation in which people that performed the role of agents, and polling agents were not enumerated. It was just their initiative to do so in most parts of the country. It is a fact that we couldn’t pay many of the agents.”
Osuntokun assumed the role after former presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe stepped down in 2022 as the campaign council’s director-general following a court conviction for money laundering. When asked about rumors of funds mismanagement by some party executives, Osuntokun responded by stating that while some funds were available, they were used to offset expenses and didn’t cover the entire country.
In addressing concerns about the party’s internal dynamics, Osuntokun highlighted the diverse nature of the Labour Party platform, noting that not all members were aligned with the ideals represented by the ‘Obidients.’ He mentioned figures like Lamidi Apapa and Arabambi as examples of individuals in the Labour Party who were more aligned with traditional machinery than the idealism associated with the ‘Obidients.’
Wow plenty of helpful facts.