Abia State Governor Alex Otti has strongly reacted to reports of his suspension from the Labour Party (LP), calling it a baseless move by a faction he describes as illegitimate.
Speaking through his media aide, Ferdinand Ekeoma, on Wednesday, Otti urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to arrest Julius Abure for what he described as impersonation and a blatant disregard for a standing Supreme Court ruling.
The statement followed an announcement made by the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party claiming that Governor Otti had been suspended from the party. However, Otti’s camp dismissed the declaration, saying Abure had no legal authority to make such a decision.
“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,” he stated.
“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 Governor Otti and other eminent members of the party.
“Finally, we call on the Inspector General of Police to quickly arrest Mr. Abure for impersonation, while INEC should ensure full implementation of the Supreme Court judgement as a way of preserving the integrity of the Supreme Court and protecting our democracy”, Ferdinand Ekeoma said on behalf of Otti.
