Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has dismissed reports of his suspension from the Labour Party by Julius Abure, describing the move as a theatrical display by someone seeking relevance.
In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, May 7, Otti, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, insisted that Abure no longer holds the position of national chairman, citing a Supreme Court ruling.
“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,” Ekeoma said.
He went on to describe the action as “a joke taken too far” and “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.”
Ekeoma stressed that the Supreme Court had “rightly and unambiguously stated that Julius Abure is no longer the national chairman of Labour Party,” adding that the decision aligns with the party’s constitution and led to the formation of the Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee.
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He accused Abure of attempting to divert attention from serious allegations levelled against him.
“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,” the statement read.
Governor Otti called on the Inspector General of Police to arrest Abure for impersonation, while also urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the Supreme Court ruling.
“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,” Ekeoma concluded.