Labour Party Slams NLC over Call for Abure, Others’ Prosecution

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The Labour Party (LP) has asked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its officers that are claiming ownership of the party to steer clear of the political organisation.

The call of the LP was sequel to a press conference addressed by the  Senator Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee, insisting that the police should prosecute Comrade Julius Abure and some of the party’s national officers for perjury, forgery and criminal conspiracy over the substitution of name of the Ebonyi LP Gubernatorial Candidate for the 2023 Election.

Addressing journalists in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the LP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, said the call for prosecution of Abure and others as cited in the text of the press conference, had been overtaken by the police report on the matter.

According to the Publicity Secretary, the Interim Police Investigation Report, on the allegations of forgery on the 2023 Ebonyi State Gubernatorial Primary, had cleared Abure and other suspects in the matter. Arabambi, who displayed  the Interim Police Investigation Report signed by Olatokunbo Olabisi a Commissioner of Police X-Squad Section FCID, Abuja, said the Caretaker Committee, had ceased to existso it was in no position to issue threats and demands.

He said: “First the forensic report and the Investigative Police Report from the has stated clearly Abure and others. The file that was forwarded to the Attorney- General has since been returned to the Police on the ground that the forensic report exonerated the four persons in its entirety.” 

“The Court of Appeal in a judgement delivered by Hon Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, Hon Justice Adebukola Banjoko and Hon Justice Peter Chudi Obiorah on the 6th day of March 2023 in suit nos CA/ABJ//CV/559/2023 has set aside the allegations of Forgery , Perjury and Criminal conspiracy and only the supreme Court is the only court that has the jurisdiction to set it aside. 

“The Inspector General of police cannot thus be held culpable of any misdeed and abdication of duties to prosecute since the Court of Appeal judgement was  the major reasons why the police can not proceed as directed

“At this juncture  Julius Abure, Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim and Clement Ojukwu has  no case to answer henceforth from the group of vultures in NLC 

Arabambi said: “There is only one Labour Party under the leadership of Comrade Julius Abure. Individuals who want to derail the peace process he has initiated to reconcile members are behind this attempt to draw us back.

“The Labour Party is one and under the leadership of Julius Abure and we are moving forward.

“The NLC should leave Labour Party for politics and face the issue of welfare of workers.”