The Edo State chapter of the Labour Party announced on Friday the suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, citing corruption allegations and other infractions. The decision was disclosed at a press conference in Abuja, where party officials emphasized that the sanction resulted from a collective decision.
Hours after the suspension was announced, the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) defended Abure, labeling the sanction illegal. In a statement signed by LP National Secretary Mallam Farouk Umar and titled “The Purported Suspension of our National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure by the Edo chapter of the Labour Party is illegal and of no consequences,” the NWC expressed confidence in the chairman. Umar described the allegations against Abure as “spurious, untrue and concocted,” and denied that the Edo delegation represented the party’s state executives. He added that the individuals seen in the press conference were not Labour Party officials from Edo State, but “people assembled and rented from some Abuja slums and paid to read a prepared speech given to them.”
When contacted, Abure suggested that his suspension was orchestrated by the opposition and his critics. He questioned how anyone could remove a party national chairman without proof or a meeting of the NWC and NEC, and highlighted the party’s achievements under his leadership. “Members of this party are happy with me and the progress we have made so far,” he said, noting that the Labour Party had won 12 states, matching the PDP, despite alleged manipulation of results.
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