Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has urged the Inspector General of Police to arrest Julius Abure for impersonation. He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully implement the Supreme Court judgment that declared Abure is no longer the national chairman of the Labour Party.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Governor Otti described his purported suspension from the Labour Party by Abure as “a desperate act of a clown looking for a crown.”
According to the statement:
“The attention of Governor Alex Otti has been drawn to the news of his purported suspension alongside other eminent leaders of the Labour Party from the party by the former national chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
“The statement by Abure and his gang of comedians is not only a joke taken too far, but an affront on democracy by a group of inconsequential irritants who are desperate to use Gov. Otti’s name to advance their self-serving economic agenda.”
Otti stressed that the Supreme Court had clearly ruled that Julius Abure is no longer the national chairman of the Labour 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 judgment, which is in agreement with the constitution of the Labour Party and formed the basis for the setting up of the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee, stripped Abure of every authority to parade himself as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.”
He further alleged that Abure’s action came shortly after he was summoned by the party’s National Caretaker Committee over allegations of gross misconduct, including financial misappropriation, impersonation, and anti-party activities.
“Just few hours after being summoned by a committee set up by the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee to come and respond to allegations of gross misconduct bordering on financial misappropriation, impersonation and anti-party activities levelled against him, Abure decided to be smart by half by rushing to the press to announce the purported suspension of Gov. Otti and other eminent members of the party.”
Governor Otti’s team dismissed the suspension as laughable and urged Nigerians to ignore Abure’s claims.
“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.”
