Labour Party Presidential Campaign office has said that it spent N744,500,000 on legal expenses covering all aspects of the processes for the 2023 presidential election.
It said legal free was part of the expenses and not the whole cost.
The campaign office in a press statement made public to the media said it has become necessary to correct the impression in public that it spent the whole amount on legal fees.
In a statement signed by Tako Yunusa, Chief spokesman for the Obi-Datti Campaign office it said the attention of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign and Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign has been drawn to the wrong analysis being given to some aspects of expenses released to the public by our campaign office.
“In particular, we want to correct the erroneous impression in the media space that the legal expenses of N744,500,000.00 were legal fees to lawyers. This is far from the truth.
“The legal fee to our lawyers remains a personal thing but our compound expenses on legal matters cannot be tied to lawyers. Also involved in this sum are research, accommodations, transportation local and international flights, and stationery of our various documents.
“We would like to be on the same page with the public on this matter and remind them that legal expenses are different from legal fees.
Legal expenses encompass all the things concerning our legal cases, ranging from pre-election to post-election legal processes.
“The filing of cases before elections, on matters involving our candidate, transmitting and photocopying of legal documents, bringing experts from overseas during our post-election legal battles, and their accommodation all form the legal expenses.
“Also included were the funding of lawyers sent to States to collect electoral materials from INEC State offices and financial assistance to some of the candidates of the Party who had legal issues, among others.
“As a body determined to inject sanity into our polity, We will continue in the right direction in ensuring that we transparently account for these funds.
“We continue to thank those who assisted us in one way or the other, especially our legal team at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, whose hard work and sacrifices remain immeasurable, despite the outcome of our election petitions, which can only be blamed on the Nigerian factor.
“And to keep assuring Nigerians, especially the youths, that a New Nigeria is possible, and that we must remain committed to our journey irrespective of the present challenges we face,” it stated.
