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Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has responded to reports of his suspension from the Labour Party by a faction of the National Working Committee led by Julius Abure.
The Abure-led faction had announced the suspension of Governor Otti alongside Senator Ireti Kingibe, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, and House of Representatives members Victor Afam Ogene, Amobi Ogah, and Seyi Sowunmi.
Reacting through a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Governor Otti described the purported suspension as baseless and lacking in legitimacy. The statement, titled “Alleged Suspension of Governor Alex Otti: Abure is a Clown in Desperate Search of a Crown”, strongly criticized Abure and his group.
“The attention of the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, has been drawn to the news of his purported suspension alongside other respected leaders of the Labour Party by the former National Chairman, Julius Abure,” the statement began.
It continued: “The statement issued by Abure and his associates is not only an exaggerated farce, but a clear affront to democracy. It is a desperate attempt by a group of individuals to exploit Governor Otti’s name for their personal and financial agendas.”
Ekeoma pointed out that the Supreme Court of Nigeria had already affirmed that Julius Abure is no longer the National Chairman of the Labour Party. In line with the court’s ruling and the Labour Party’s constitution, a National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman was duly constituted, thereby stripping Abure of any authority to speak or act on behalf of the party.
“Just hours after being summoned by the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee to address serious allegations including financial misappropriation, impersonation, and anti-party activities, Abure hurriedly took to the media to announce the purported suspension of Governor Otti and other party leaders,” the statement alleged.
The governor’s camp dismissed the suspension as laughable and urged the public to disregard it entirely.
“We encourage Nigerians to treat Abure’s claims with the disdain they deserve and view him and his allies as a group of individuals desperately seeking relevance they no longer possess,” the statement added.
Finally, the statement called on the Inspector General of Police to arrest Julius Abure for alleged impersonation and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fully enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the rule of law and protect Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
