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Tag: Julius Abure

  • Lagos LP demands resignation of party chairman, Julius Abure

    Lagos LP demands resignation of party chairman, Julius Abure

    The Lagos State chapter of the Labour Party, (LP) has demanded for the resignation of embattled National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure asking him to resign now so as to sustain the party’s integrity.

    Rasheed Bamishe, the LP chairman in Lagos State, made the call at the party’s secretariat in Lagos on Saturday.

    Bamishe called on the National Working Committee, members of the party Board of Trustees and other relevant stakeholders to prevent Abure from holding his proposed National Convention on March 27, 2024.

    AHe said Abure should prioritize the party interest while a Caretaker National Chairman should be appointed to organize State Congresses before convening the National Convention.

    “We urge Barrister Abure to leave the Party now because the litany of corrupt cases against him has done collateral damage to the image of the Labour Party.

    “The Labour Party which was formed by the founding fathers to be a beckon of hope for millions of Nigerians is gradually being destroyed by Barrister Abure and this should not be allowed to continue,” he said.

    Bamishe further stated that Abure was free to create his political party and manage its business but declared that the Labour Party, as a democratic organisation, cannot function as a one-man show.

    He said that allegations of dishonesty, forgery, and fabrication of signatures have brought public shame and embarrassment to the Labour Party.

    “Even if all these allegations are not true, the reasonable option open to the embattled Labour Party National Chairman is to step aside to pave the way for thorough investigations into the cases of alleged fraud against him.

    “In a civilized clime, Barrister Abure should have exited office since the flurry of fraud cases against him became public knowledge but because of the culture of impunity in Nigeria, he is still clinging to power.

    “Barrister Abure should tell the world where the National Convention of Labour Party in which he emerged as National Chairman was held.

    “Barrister Abure is plotting to install himself again as the National Chairman of Labour Party through another illegal Convention and this should not be allowed to happen,” he stressed.

    He emphasized the need for all stakeholders to unite to seek legitimate options including litigation to make sure Abure is removed from office to restore credibility,

  • Picketing of Labour Party secretariat, a show of shame – Abure

    Picketing of Labour Party secretariat, a show of shame – Abure

    Mr Julius Abure, the National Chairman of Labour Party(LP) has faulted Wednesday’s picketing of the National Secretariat of the party by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) saying it is a show of shame.

    This is contained in a statement by Mr Obiora Ifoh, the LP National Publicity Secretary on Thursday in Abuja.

    Abure also described the action as a show of rascality, an abuse of office and an abuse of the law of the land.

    “Where they besieged the office, broke the fence, destroy the gates, unlawfully took possession of the Secretariat and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.

    “Properties stolen including monies made for the payment of salaries and other official purposes. This is unfortunate.

    “I must state today that the leadership of NLC under Joe Ajaero is on the part of destroying the successes we have recorded in the 2023 general election.

    “I had expected that as a responsible trade union centre, a responsible labour leader; he should have teamed up with Labour Party to see how we can team up together to make the country better,” he said.
    He added: “Unfortunately and ironically too, the NLC is the one that is on the part of war against LP.

    “I must state clearly that Ajaero as NLC President has not been able to organise a successful strike action.

    “Not even a single protest or even picketing government establishment in order to bring government to accede to the numerous requests of workers.

    “As we speak, there are unfair labour practices meted out to workers by several organisations in the country. I have not seen Joe Ajaero go to such organisations to picket them.”

    The LP National Chairman added that NLC had been claiming ownership of LP which was not true.

    He said that the party was not owned by NLC.

    “We are not the employers of NLC and they don’t have the legitimate reason to picket our office.

    “We have no trade union dispute with NLC, there is no notice issued to us that we have a trade union dispute with NLC. This is clearly an abuse of office and abuse of the laws of the land.

    “Let me also state here that the propaganda they have been carrying around that we are planning a secret convention is totally false.

    “The NEC met April 2023 in Asaba and granted the permission that the convention must hold in one year. We started planning for the Convention since then,” he said.

    Abure added: “We communicated INEC as requested by the law. We have also informed all the stakeholders including NLC. I have discussed the issue with Ajaero on several occasions.

    “The NLC on its own wrote to INEC on several occasions on the need to hold the convention.

    “We are surprised that the same NLC is the one that is asking that convention should not hold again.

    “He has ulterior motives and we will not allow him to hijack the party.”

  • Peter Obi will not leave labour party over smear campaign against Abure, says Party leadership 

    Peter Obi will not leave labour party over smear campaign against Abure, says Party leadership 

    The national leadership of the Labour Party has warned those disseminating falsehood against its National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure using social media platforms to desist from further media trial of its leader.

    In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, the party said instead of media trial those disseminating false information should approach the court if they are convinced of their allegations.

    The party also said that the party’s national leader, Peter Obi is not under any pressure to dump the party ahead of 2027 general election over the sustained smear campaign against Julius Abure.

    According to him, “It astonishes us how far our detractors can go in ensuring that the party swims from one ocean of crisis to another in their evil desire to create disharmony between the party and our leaders.

    “We are aware that Abure is not the target of these ferocious and malicious missiles. We are also aware that huge sums of money has been mapped out to wage a propaganda war against our leader ahead of the 2027 general election.

    “The feat of the Labour Party in the last general election rattled not a few persons and the fear of the future has driven them to begin so early to prepare ahead. Part of the strategy is to make any political platform unviable for Obi to sail with.

    “The party is also aware that any Political Party Peter Obi finds himself in as a vehicle for the 2027 presidential election including the Labour Party, will not be spared by the political hirelings who are already recruited to dismember such a party.

    “Let me emphasis here that even Peter Obi has severally pledged loyalty to the Labour Party due to its social democratic ideology which suits his political vision. Peter Obi will not anymore fellowship with any bourgeoisie party. He is a liberator and not a ruler as seen in the other parties.”

    The National Publicity Secretary while also speaking on the corrupt enrichment allegations leveled against the National Chairman, said, “They are spurious, fairy tale, and a calculated attempt to tar the person of Abure with a dark brush. The audit report by the party’s external auditor gave the party a clean bill of health since 2021 when Abure assumed office. As a matter of fact, an earlier forensic audit report carried out in 2017 indicted our suspended Treasurer for fraudulently diverting huge sums of money to personal accounts.

    “Abure’s only offence was that he refused to allow the continuation of looting while insisting that accountability must be enthroned. The very official who was the greatest beneficiary of those sleazes became uncomfortable and started wedging wars.

    “We are aware that Abure is still living in a rented apartment in Abuja and that he only recently refurbished a bungalow left for him by his late father as the first son. There is also no law in Nigeria forbidding a citizen from owning properties. Those making all these spurious allegation may have to prove them in the court as the case is already before the court.

    “It would also interest you to know that no kobo has ever left the Labour Party Bank accounts without a co signatory; either by the National Secretary or the National Treasurer. So the narrative that Abure alone siphoned or diverted the party fund is clearly misleading and orchestrated to muscle him out of office.”

     

  • JUST IN: Police release Labour party  Chairman, Abure

    JUST IN: Police release Labour party  Chairman, Abure

    The Police has released the national chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, who was arrested on Wednesday in Benin city, the Edo State capital.

    According to the Police, Abure was arrested over a petition accusing him of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit dangerous harm.

    The Police also accused Abure of illegal possession of firearms.

    Speaking after his release, Abure said: “No struggle to liberate a country comes easy. Many countries of the world where freedom fighters have fought for the emancipation of the people suffer injustice, suffer prosecution and it is what is happening to me and my other colleagues since after the general election.

    “After the general election, they have tried to instigate crisis in the party, they tried to bring false accusations against us. They have come to talk about forgery at a time, when it did not work, they came with embezzlement.

    “Any person that is aggrieved within the party, they go and instigate them to write petition and to make trouble. And the irony is that the police even act on those things (but) at the end of the day, they will find out that those things are false.

    “Yesterday, we were making arrangements for the primaries and of course the police swamped on us, arrested us over what I would not want to discuss now because investigation is going on and therefore, I do not want to preempt them.

    “But I must state clearly that following several interventions, they have graciously released me on bail,” he added.

     

  • BREAKING: Labour Party raises alarm of plots to vilify Peter Obi

    BREAKING: Labour Party raises alarm of plots to vilify Peter Obi

    The Labour Party, following the verdict of the Supreme Court affirming the election of President Bola Tinubu, has raised an alarm of plots to vilify Mr Peter Obi, its candidate in the 2023 presidential election.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Barrister Julius Abure, National Chairman of the Labour Party raised the alarm on Thursday, adding that the government of Tinubu aims to suppress his party and its goal of a new Nigeria.

    A statement by Abure reads: “It is indeed another sad day for democracy in Nigeria. The leadership of Labour Party watched as the sacred fabric of justice and good conscience was shredded today at the Supreme Court as it delivered its verdict in the case between our party the Presidential candidate and the APC Presidential candidate.

    “We are indeed very shocked and surprised that even the apex Court will toe the line of an earlier judgement in spite of all the flaws associated with the judgement delivered by the Presidential Election Appeal Tribunal.

    “Having conclusively exercised our fundamental rights as gifted to us by the laws of the land, we have no other choice but to move on. We may be disappointed and dismayed by the outcome of the exercise, but we have chosen to trudge on and to remain optimistic of what the future holds for the nation.

    “We weep for our Institutions that cannot rise to the occasion and courageously defend democracy and the voices of our people.

    “However, there are great lessons to be learnt. What transpired in Nigeria since the February 25 presidential election is a clear testament that our institutions are not working and that we may be sliding towards dictatorship. It is very clear that the executive has hijacked both the judiciary and the legislature. This is so unfortunate for our democracy, and it is even more for the people of Nigeria.

    “All what our forbearers taught us has been destroyed within a short space of time because of the Unbridled ambition of a few. The founding fathers fought with their lives to achieve independence for the country. People lost their lives for the struggle to keep our democracy and all these years people have been struggling to achieve electoral and constitutional reforms. Regrettably, all of these efforts and struggles have been destroyed today.

    “It is also pertinent to put on record that we have it on very good authority that the government may have marked some Labour Party’s key leaders, myself especially and our Leader and Presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi in particular for vilification, in order to suppress the party, suffocate our team, and our goal of a new Nigeria. The planned persecution, intimidation, suppression and harassment of our leaders using security agencies and all other government institutions will be definitely defended.

    “We are therefore calling on all our members, and the Obidient family to be vigilant and brace up for the challenges ahead. The struggle for a New Nigeria will certainly be tortuous and hard.

    “We are also calling on the international community to rise to the occasion to defend democracy in Nigeria. Your voices were loud and clear in condemnation of the outcome of the presidential election. As we approach the next stage of our democratic journey, we call on you to stand by the millions of Nigerians who are already pushed beyond their limits into unnecessary hardship and penury.

    “Finally, we urge Nigerians not to lose hope in our Country. Though we are paying a huge price to achieve a Nigeria of our desire. We are hopeful that we will get to our destination someday because where there is a will, certainly, there will be a way. A new Nigeria is still possible”.

  • Apapa’s Chairmanship claim is false – Labour Party faction

    Apapa’s Chairmanship claim is false – Labour Party faction

    The Julius Abure faction of the Labour Party(LP) says the claim by Lamidi Apapa that the court has affirmed him as the authentic National Chairman of the party is false.

    Malam Umar Farouk, the National Secretary of the faction said this at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.

    Farouk said that the Certified True Copy of the suit did not involved Abure.

    “This conference is called purposely to clear the air on yet another attempt by some of our former members.

    “They rebelled against the party and went ahead to shamelessly misinform members of the public on the huge progress being made to reposition LP as one of the biggest political parties in Nigeria.

    “Lamidi Apapa and a few others are being sponsored, their assignment is to ensure that no progress is achieved in the party.

    “The heavily funded dissidents have tried to mislead the courts and some section of the media to harass the party leadership but all have failed,” he said.

    Farouk said that the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin had affirmed Abure as the National Chairman of the party.

    “Only yesterday, the Court of Appeal Owerri, which sat in Abuja, gave judgement in the case brought before it by one Basil Maduka, one of the two aspirants deceived by the Apapa’s camp to participate in their illegal primaries.

    “The matter was on who the real LP candidate in the Imo governorship election is and not to challenge Abure’s position as chairman.

    “The court also ordered that the status quo remains with Sen. Athan Achonu as the validly nominated candidate of LP for 2023 Imo governorship election.

    “It noted that Basil Maduka has no locus to seek redress in the court as he is not known by the LP, ” he said.

    Farouk said that the Appeal Court in Edo had since ruled that Abure was the authentic chairman of the LP and everything done under his leadership, including nominating candidates for elections, was legal.

    He said that it thus meant that whoever was not satisfied with the ruling of the Appeal Court was permitted under the law to approach the Supreme Court to seek a review of the Appeal Court judgement.

    ”The LP took time to explain this trajectory because these men are out to ensure that the party suffers immeasurably and they will stop at nothing from achieving the mandate of their sponsors.

    ”We state categorically that Achonu remains the LP’s governorship candidate in Imo as no court has stated otherwise.”

    He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission had since published his name as the party’s candidate.

  • Labour Party factional Chairman, Lamidi Apapa opens up after court ruling

    Labour Party factional Chairman, Lamidi Apapa opens up after court ruling

    Lamidi Apapa, Labour Party (LP) factional leader, says only candidates endorsed by him can feature in the Nov.11 Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo governorship election.

    Apapa said this when he spoke at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, saying that the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Owerri had affirmed him as the authentic National Chairman of the party.

    He said that the court also sacked the Julius Abure led faction and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise governorship candidates produced by his faction for the election.

    “You will recall that on the April 5 the FCT High court restrained Abure and others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.

    “As a result, the party appointed the Deputy National Chairman Alhaji Lamidi Apapa as the acting national chairman of the party pursuant to its constitution.

    “Sequel to that the party under my leadership wrote to INEC changing its date of primary election earlier scheduled by Abure from April 15 to April 16.

    “Notwithstanding the fact that he was under a restraining order, Abure still went ahead to conduct his primaries for Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa on those dates,” he said.

    Apapa said that on the other hand, his faction conducted primaries on April 16 making it two primaries conducted by the LP in the states.

    “Peeved by the primary conducted by me , a candidate who participated in the Abure primary took my candidate to court whilst maintaining that Abure’s candidates were the authentic ones.

    “The case was frantically defended, and the Federal High court, Owerri Division, declared the primaries conducted by me as the authentic candidate as Abure was under a restraining order as at the time he screened candidates and conducted his primaries,” he said.

    Apapa said the court recognised him as the authentic Chairman of the party.

    He said that dissatisfied with the FHC judgment, Abure’s candidates, including the winner of his primaries appealed against the judgment to the court of Appeal.

    He said that the court of appeal had also affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court that Abure’s conduct was contemptuous as he was under a restraining order when he conducted the said primaries.

    “That restraining order is still in force even at the time this judgment was delivered,’’ he said.

  • Just In: Court sacks Abure as Labour Party’s national chairman

    Just In: Court sacks Abure as Labour Party’s national chairman

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri on Thursday sacked Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

    Also, the court, in the same judgement, recognised Lamidi Apapa as the National Chairman of the party.

    The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to as a matter of urgency recognize and publish the names of all the governorship candidates produced by the Apapa-led National Working Committee (NWC) in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.

    The court also dismissed Senator Athan Achonu, the governorship candidate of Imo State and others from the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party.

    Recall that the Court of Appeal in Benin, Edo State, had on August 14 affirmed Abure as the chairman of LP.

  • Labour Party: State Chairmen insist Abure is National Chairman, call for truce

    Labour Party: State Chairmen insist Abure is National Chairman, call for truce

    The 36 state chairmen of the Labour Party (LP) and that of the FCT have called on a party member, Mr Apapa Lamidi and other aggrieved members to sheath their swords and resolve issues internally.

    Apapa had declared himself as the party’s national chairman in the wake of a fresh legal crisis rocking the party and took over the national secretariat of the party.

    However, Mr Rotimi Kehinde, Chairman of the party’s Chairmen Forum read a communique after a meeting of the chairmen in Abuja on Saturday in which they passed a vote of confidence in Mr Julius Abure as national chairman.

    Kehinde said that the 36 state chairmen as members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party met to review recent developments in the party.

    “Few members of the National Working Committee (NWC), led by Comrade Lamidi and others declared themselves the new leaders of our party.

    “The 36 chairmen resolved that Mr Abure remains the national chairman of LP and Comrade Lamidi’s action is accordingly repudiated and cannot stand.

    “He and the others in his group grossly violated the provision of our party’s Constitution and took internal matters of the party to court without exhausting all the appropriate instituted channels of resolving disputes.

    “They are by the dint of this communique directed to immediately effect withdrawal of the matter from court and return to the path of rectitude for due process,’’ he said.

    Kehinde said that the 36 chairmen condemned the act by the small fraction of the NWC led by Lamidi and others.

    He added that the chairmen were of the view that Lamidi and others involved in the action did not appear to be appropriate members of LP as no member would destroy his own home.

    “Those suspended by the party under the chairmanship of Abure remain suspended until the NEC decides otherwise.

    “The 36 chairmen recommend that a NEC meeting should be called without further delay,’’ he said.

    Kehinde added that the 36 Chairmen upheld that the NWC meeting called held by Lamidi was a nullity.

    According to him, any decision reached at the so-called NWC meeting is of no legal effect.

    An FCT Court on Wednesday restrained Abure from parading himself as LP’s chairman.

    However, a state High Court that sat in Benin on the same day, restrained LP and all its members from any suspension of its national officers till the determination of a motion on notice.

  • Labour Party passes vote of confidence on National Chairman

    Labour Party passes vote of confidence on National Chairman

    Labour Party on Monday passed a vote of confidence on its National Chairman, Julius Abure, who was allegedly suspended by a factional group of the party.

    The party recalled that some groups who claimed to be Ward 3 executives of the party in Edo, led by the Ward’s Chairman, Martins Osigbemhe, had earlier announced the suspension of the LP national chairman.

    The suspension was over allegations of forgery, perjury, mismanagement of funds, anti-party activities, among others.

    Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Chairman of the party in Edo State, Mr Kelly Ogbaloi, said that the constitution of the party did not empower any group or party members to suspend a national officer who was elected by national convention.

    He said “imposters “who were not registered party members cannot suspend him, so their action is out of ignorance.

    “Those who did it do not even understand the message they were asked to deliver. It’s nonsense when few boys assembled themselves in Abuja and made the pronouncement they made.

    “Those that issued the suspension were not members of the party, nobody knows them at ward level nor Local Government level talk more of the state level.

    “In the constitution of Labour Party, no state, no local government, no ward has the right or whatsoever to assemble anywhere to suspend a national chairman who is a product of a national convention,” he said.

    Ogbaloi said that it might be possible in other political parties but not in Labour Party. He said that whatever action carried out by the group, had no effect on the leadership of the party.

    “Mr Julius Abure remains the National Chairman of our party and we have since passed a vote of confidence on him and he shall take this party forward.

    ”No reasonable person will come and be talking about the suspension of a chairman who had delivered on the just concluded elections,” he said.

    Mr Patrick Obed, the Local Government Chairman, Esan East, Edo, said that the suspension of Abure was a rumour and a rift.

    According to him, Abure is the National Chairman and has not been suspended at any level.

    “He has been good to us, he has been working assiduously to move the party forward,” he said.

    Mr Thompson Ehiguese, Chairman Ward 3, Esan East LGA, said they came to Abuja to clear the air on the purported suspension by some persons impersonating as the ward chairman and ward executives of ward 3 Esan North Senatorial zone.

    “We are here to dismiss the information about the suspension, that is not correct. Ward 3, Uromi, where the national chairman hails from. I am his ward chairman.

    “The truth of the matter is that those who claimed to have suspended the national chairman are not members of the party.

    “Their names are not in our party register. They are impersonators and they will be arrested,” he said.