By Ayo Kehinde
The Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has called on the police to arrest the factional National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, for impersonation.
The request followed the purported suspension of Otti and five other LP members, including Senators Ireti Kingibe and Darlington Nwokocha, by the Abure-led faction of the party on Wednesday, over alleged anti-party activities.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, the governor described his purported suspension from the party as a desperate act of a “clown looking for a crown”.
He emphasised that the Supreme Court had, in a judgement, affirmed that Abure was no longer the national chairman of the Labour Party.
While requesting the Inspector General of Police to arrest Abure for impersonation, he called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure full implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on the matter.
The statement read: “The attention of Governor Alex Otti has been drawn to the news of his purported suspension alongside other eminent leaders of the Labour Party from the party by the former national chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
“The statement by Abure and his gang of comedians is not only a joke taken too far, but an affront to democracy by a group of inconsequential irritants, who are desperate to use Gov. Otti’s name to advance their self-serving economic agenda.
“For the record, the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, has rightly and unambiguously stated that Julius Abure is no longer the national chairman of the Labour Party.
“The judgement, which is in agreement with the constitution of the Labour Party, and formed the basis for the setting up of the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee, stripped Abure of every authority to parade himself as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
“Just few hours after being summoned by a committee set up by the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee to come and respond to allegations of gross misconduct bordering on financial misappropriation, impersonation and anti-party activities levelled against him, Abure decided to be smart by half by rushing to the press to announce the purported suspension of Gov. Otti and other eminent members of the party.
“We enjoin Nigerians to disregard Abure’s laughable statement and continue to see him and his co-conspirators as a group of clowns in desperate search of a crown they do not deserve.”
