Labour Party Affirms Abure as Its National Chairman

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

Labour Party has passed a vote of confidence on its National Chairman, Julius Abure, who was last week suspended by factional members of the party.

Some groups that claimed to be ward 3 executives of the party in Edo State, led by the Ward’s Chairman, Martins Osigbemhe, had in a press conference, last week in Abuja, announced the suspension of the LP national chairman over allegations of scandals, forgery, perjury, mismanagement of funds, anti-party activities, among others.

In a statement by seven out of the 11 members of the ward executives, Osigbemhe pointed out that the decision to suspend the national chairman was reached after the leadership of the ward thoroughly reviewed Abure’s conduct at the end of the just-concluded general elections.

But states executive members of the party, who stormed the national headquarters of the party yesterday also described the suspension as the handiwork of imposters being sponsored by other political parties to destabilise the success recorded by the party at the just concluded general election.

The national headquarters of the party has also condemned and expressed shock over the invasion and occupation of its secretariat in Owerri by agents of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, whom they said deployed thugs and unauthorised police men drafted from the Government House to carry out the operation.

Speaking with pressmen at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja yesterday, the Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the party, Sir Kelly Ogbaloi, said the constitution of the party didn’t empower any group or party members to suspend a national officer, who was elected by a national convention, talk less of those he described as imposters who were not registered party members, describing their actions as an act of ignorance.

“Those who did it don’t even understand the message they were asked to deliver. It’s nonsense when few boys assembled themselves in Abuja and made the pronouncement they made. For once, they are not members of the party, they are not at the ward, they are not at the local government and they are not recognised at the state level.

“In the constitution of Labour Party, no state, no local government, no ward has the right or whatsoever to assemble anywhere to suspend a national chairman, who is a product of a national convention.”

“It may be possible in other political parties but not in Labour Party,” he said, adding that, whatever action carried out by the group, had no effect on the leadership of the party.