Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has called on Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately arrest Julius Abure, the embattled factional chairman of the Labour Party (LP), accusing him of impersonation and undermining party democracy.
The demand comes in response to the announcement on Wednesday by Abure’s faction of the LP, which declared the indefinite suspension of Otti, along with Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT), and other prominent party figures including Darlington Nwokocha, Victor Afam Ogene, Amobi Ogah, and Seyi Sowunmi, over alleged anti-party activities.
In a strongly worded statement issued through his media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Governor Otti dismissed the suspension as a “joke taken too far” and an “affront on democracy,” warning the public against taking Abure and his faction seriously.
According to Otti, a recent Supreme Court judgment nullified Abure’s claim to the party chairmanship and led to the establishment of a new national caretaker committee chaired by Senator Nenadi Usman. The ruling, he said, effectively stripped Abure of all legal authority within the party.
“For the records, 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 Labour Party,” the statement read.
Otti alleged that Abure’s announcement of his suspension was a preemptive move made just hours after being summoned by the new leadership to respond to accusations of financial misappropriation, impersonation, and anti-party activities.
“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,” Ekeoma said on behalf of the governor.
The governor urged the IGP to arrest Abure for impersonation and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision to safeguard judicial integrity and uphold democracy.
The Labour Party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis, with conflicting claims to the chairmanship following the Supreme Court’s April verdict. While Abure and his supporters continue to assert authority, a caretaker committee backed by key figures like Peter Obi and Alex Otti has taken control of the party’s administration.
Adding to the confusion, another party faction led by Lamidi Apapa also claims leadership, citing party constitutional provisions. On May 2, Abure’s group established a disciplinary panel to investigate members for alleged anti-party conduct, further deepening the crisis.
