Abia State Governor Alex Otti has dismissed his purported suspension by the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) as baseless, insisting that Abure lacks the legal authority to act as the party’s national chairman.
The Abure-led faction on Wednesday announced the indefinite suspension of Otti, Senator Ireti Kingibe, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, Victor Afam Ogene, Amobi Ogah, and Seyi Sowunmi, citing alleged anti-party activities.
However, in a swift response through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti maintained that Abure’s claim to the chairmanship was nullified by the Supreme Court.
Ekeoma stated, “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 governor urged the public to disregard the suspension announcement, describing it as a desperate move by Abure to divert attention from his own mounting legal troubles.
“Just a few hours after being summoned by a Committee set up by the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee to respond to allegations of gross misconduct, financial misappropriation, impersonation, and anti-party activities, Abure decided to be smart by half, rushing to the press to announce the purported suspension of Governor Otti and other eminent members of the party,” the statement read.
Otti also called on the Inspector General of Police to arrest Abure for impersonation, while urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the Supreme Court ruling to protect Nigeria’s democracy.
“Finally, we call on the Inspector General of Police to quickly arrest Mr. Abure for impersonation, while INEC should ensure full implementation of the Supreme Court judgement as a way of preserving the integrity of the Supreme Court and protecting our democracy,” the statement added.
