The Labour Party (LP) via a statement has called for President Bola Tinubu’s intervention to force Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, to refrain from “further threatening the Party and the leadership”.
The ‘Papa, Mama and Pikin’ Party stated, “Dr Alex Otti, again disparaged the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure and even called for the arrest of our National Chairman. We are not only condemning this despicable action of the governor who was recently suspended by the party but are also seeking the intervention of well meaning Nigerians including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to persuade the governor from further threat to our party and the leadership.”
Recently, Labour Party released a Press Statement where it made known the “indefinite suspension” of Governor Alex Otti, Ireti Kingibe and other over “allegations of anti-Party activities”.
Statememt From the Labour Party (X/@NgLabour) Below:
Multiple threats to Abure, NWC members: Labour Party wants President Tinubu to rein in Governor Otti
The attention of the National Working Committee of the Labour Party has been drawn to a statement issued by Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti where he again disparaged the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure and even called for the arrest of our National Chairman. We are not only condemning this despicable action of the governor who was recently suspended by the party but are also seeking the intervention of well meaning Nigerians including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to persuade the governor from further threat to our party and the leadership.
We ordinarily do not always respond to the rantings of most of our members who are undergoing disciplinary actions but on a deeper reflection and going by recent actions especially by this same governor, we deemed it necessary to point out that several threats coming from the governor and his agents in the last few months must not be swept under the carpet. It would be recalled that in the last few months, His Excellency, Dr Otti had ordered the arrest and detention of our National Vice Chairman, Comrade Ceekay Igara, the state chairman, Prince Ndubeze and other leaders of the party for holding a lawful party meeting in Aba, Abia State. In April this year, at a meeting of the disgruntled members of the party held at Transcorp, Governor Otti again, threatened Abure and his leadership with a ‘doomsday’ remark.
His recent threat to arrest Abure and the National Working Committee members for suspending him is one threat too many. We are by this statement calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in on the governor and to remind him that there is no place for tyranny in a democratic system. We advice Alex Otti to know that the ‘Our Lives Matter’, politics or not. Through his media aide, Otti also alleged that Abure is a ‘clown in search of a crown’. We are very shocked that the governor could condescend that low, because as at 2022 when the governor joined Labour Party after he was rejected by virtually every other political parties in Nigeria, Abure was already wearing a “beaded” crown. As at that time, the National Chairman was already a king, sitting on the throne. As at that time, Abure was already the king who made Alex Otti, who he is today. Abure was already wearing the crown before Alex Otti met us at the party, genuflecting and wearing a humble demeanour, so how can the same Abure now be a clown in search of a crown. Isn’t it trite to say that Otti who has not added value to the party that made him, is actually the clown?
In case Governor Otti forgot, we were the ones that provided the platform for him, gave him forms, gave him waivers, supported him and campaigned for him. We rejected overtures and several offers which could have ended his ambition. We promoted him, defended his election in the courts until he became the governor. After he became the governor, he abandoned the same party leadership and today, he is dragging the party with us. It will interest you to know that on his swearing in, he could not even pay for the transportation of a few NWC members that attended the function. That was the day we realized we have entered “one chance” vehicle.
Talking about the “the crown and the clown”, It was this same governor Otti that emptied his entire cabinet including his deputy and all elected state Assembly members to Nnewi, Anambra State, on the 27th of March 2024, venue of our National Convention to “crown” Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, and few months later, he started singing a strange song in a strange land. What a paradox. Who earnestly is the clown here? We have repeatedly said that Governor Otti is on a mission to stifle life out of the Labour Party ahead of 2027 general election before making way to his already known preferred destination. If not, why would a governor who has absolute cooperation with the leadership of his party at the centre, a governor who has publicly told the world that God used Abure to make him the governor, suddenly vacillate and somersaulted, and by so doing, unleashed an unnecessary crisis in his own party, where he once called the shots.
Finally, we want to reiterate that the Supreme Court did not remove Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, neither did it hand over the party to Otti and his cohorts led by Nenadi Usman. The Supreme Court’s position was that the matter of leadership in a political party is not justiciable and that no court has the jurisdiction to entertain party leadership matter because it is purely an internal affair of the party. The Supreme Court also did not set aside the Court of Appeal judgement of 13 November 2024, which affirmed Mr Abure as the national chairperson of the party. We are therefore appealing to all our estranged members to allow reasons to prevail and to obey the Supreme Court pronouncement on the supremacy of the party.
Sign:
Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim
National Secretary
Labour Party
12-05-2025
