The Labour Party on Friday dismissed reports that its national chairman, Julius Abure, had been suspended by the Ward Executive in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State. The party alleged that the alleged suspension was being sponsored by opposition parties. In a statement, Labour Party National Secretary Farouk Umar said no reasonable party member would consider suspending the chairman while the party is pursuing its presidential mandate in the Election Petition Tribunal, as well as other mandates—including the governorship, Senate and House of Representatives—that were “brazenly stolen.” Umar blamed the purported suspension on opposition parties seeking to distract the party and reminded critics that the party’s constitution clearly defines who has the authority to suspend the national chairman, urging them to read it.
Some individuals claiming to be ward executives announced Abure’s suspension over alleged forgery and anti‑party activities. Ward Chairman Martins Osigbemhe held a press conference, stating that Abure had been suspended pending the resolution of numerous petitions and court cases against him. Osigbemhe read a statement signed by seven of the eleven ward executives, accusing Abure of illegally substituting party candidates in the recent general elections.
Umar clarified that only the national convention can suspend the national chairman, and such a suspension must be carried out through a convention convened for that purpose. He described the press conference held on Friday, 31 March 2023, in Abuja as being attended by “unknown faces” who pronounced the suspension and made “spurious allegations” that were “untrue and concocted by the sponsors of the press conference.” According to Umar, the individuals seen in the visuals were not Labour Party members from Edo State; instead, they were people “assembled and rented from some Abuja slums” and paid to read a prepared speech.
Umar reiterated that the party’s constitution is explicit about who can suspend the national chairman and that the sudden suspension appeared to be an afterthought by opposition parties intended to distract Labour Party leadership. He emphasized that no reasonable party member would contemplate such a move while the party is fighting its presidential mandate in court and seeking to recover other stolen mandates. He highlighted the party’s achievements under Abure’s leadership: winning eight Senate seats, 34 House of Representatives seats, numerous state assembly seats, and a governorship, while still contesting the presidency in court.
Finally, Umar urged the media not to give the matter serious attention, noting that the party should be consulting its lawyers rather than dealing with “faceless individuals” who are being sponsored. He called on Nigerians to distance themselves from politicians who malign political leaders, especially those “afraid of the rising profile of our national chairman, Julius Abure.”
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