Victor EzejaThe Labour Party has debunked the purported suspension of its national chairman, Julius Abure, by its Ward Executive in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The party said the so-called Ward Executives were sponsored by opposition parties to announce the purported suspension of the national chairman, adding that no reasonable member of the party would be thinking of suspension when they are pursuing their stolen mandates at different levels in the Election Petition Tribunals including that of the presidential mandate.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThis was contained in a statement by the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Farouk Umar, who said the purported suspension of Abure was an attempt by opposition parties plotting to distract the party.
Some persons who claimed to be executive members in the LP national chairman’s Ward announced the suspension of Abure over alleged forgery and anti-party activities.
Martins Osigbemhehe, who identified as the party Ward Chairman, had at a press conference, said that Abure was suspended by the executive, pending the determination of petitions against him in courts.
He accused of Abure illegally substituting candidates of the party in the just concluded general elections.
However, Umar in the statement said that the men who appeared in a video of the press conference where the suspension was announced, were not known in the party in Edo State.
He explained said that the party’s constitution specified who can suspend and who cannot suspend the national chairman and asked them to go and read the constitution.
The national secretary added that it is only the national convention specifically convened for the purpose that can suspend the national chairman of the party.
The statement reads: “The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party was called to the press conference held today Friday, March 31, 2023, by some unknown faces assembled in one room in Abuja wherein they pronounced a suspension on our national chairman, Julius Abure. They also made some spurious allegations against him which are untrue and concocted by the sponsors of the press conference. We however deemed it fit to make some responses.
“The young men we saw on that visuals are not anybody from Labour Party in Edo State as claimed. The executives of the party in the State, Local Government and my ward are well known to the party. None of them was at the press conference. We make bold to say that they are people assembled and rented from some Abuja slums and paid to read a prepared speech given to them.
“Again, our party’s constitution is clear on who can suspend and who cannot suspend the National chairman. They should go and read the party’s 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 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 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? 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, won 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.”
Umar said that with the issue on ground about the outcome of the elections, the purported suspension of the LP national chairman is not worth giving attention at the moment.
He urged Nigerians to ignore the announcement, adding that it was the handiwork of those who are afraid of the rising profile of Abure.
“We are also calling on Nigerians to distance themselves from politicians who take pleasure in maligning political leaders, especially, politicians who are afraid of the rising profile of our national chairman, Julius Abure,” Umar added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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