Suspension Moves Against Me Illegal, Inconsequential, Says LP National Chairman

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has described a suspension move by those he described as unidentified executive members of his ward in Edo State as illegal and inconsequential.

Abure stated this yesterday in Abuja while reacting to news of his suspension by some executive members of his ward led by one Martins Osigbemhe, over allegations of scandals, forgery, perjury, mismanagement of funds, anti-party activities, among others.

 The group had earlier in a statement signed by seven of its members during a press briefing, pointed out that the decision to suspend the national chairman was arrived at after a thorough review of the National Chairman’s conduct by the leadership of the ward at the end of the just-concluded general elections.

Among others things, he alleged that Abure had moved to install former Edo State House of Assembly Speaker, Uyinmwen Ativie as party’s House of Representatives candidate for Uhunmwode/Orhionmwon, Edo State, with forged court documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But reacting to the development, Abure in a statement made available to THISDAY, and signed by the National Secretary of the party, Farouk Umar, described the group as faceless.

Farouk described the acclaimed ward executives as intruders who do not have the legal footing to suspend the national chairman, adding that the announcement is a ploy to distract the leadership of the party.

He said: “Our party constitution is clear on who can suspend and who cannot suspend the National Chairman. They should go and read the party constitution. It is only the National Convention that can suspend the National Chairman of the Labour Party. It also must be through such a convention called for the purpose of the suspension of the National Chairman.

“We think that the sudden suspension was an afterthought of some opposition parties purely to distract the leadership of the Labour Party at this time. There is no reasonable party member at this point in time who will be thinking of such a thing when we are pursuing our presidential mandate in the court and all other mandates including the governorship, Senate and House of Representatives that were brazenly stolen.

“Who will be contemplating the suspension of any national party official at this point in time. It is on record that for the first time in the history of the party, the Abure-led leadership has succeeded to change the political narratives in the country. A party from the blues competing with the top two political parties and in the process, winning eight Senate and 34 House of Representatives as well as numerous House of Assembly seats.

“We also won a governorship seat while we are in court to retrieve other mandates including the presidency. This is certainly not a matter that should be given serious attention by the media. We ordinarily should be talking to our lawyers by now but the fact that you are dealing with faceless individuals who have obviously been sponsored.”