The Labour Party’s secretariat in Imo State has been sealed. In a statement issued on Monday, national secretary Umar Farouk said the police, in collusion with the state government, carried out the seizure. He expressed shock at the “invasion and occupation” of the Owerri secretariat on Monday, April 3, 2023, by agents of Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, including thugs and unauthorized policemen from the government house.
Farouk noted that this illegal occupation mirrors a similar intrusion on March 15, 2023. Unlike the earlier incident, the state government now claims the action is based on a court order. “To date, no such order has been presented to us,” Farouk said. “The policemen occupying our secretariat have not shown any court order, and all our officials and staff have been barred from accessing the premises.”
He added that the party has contacted the office of the Inspector General of Police, which confirmed that the force is unaware of any security breach in the state that would justify the occupation. The police also informed the party that none of their officers were assigned to the Labour Party secretariat; the officers present may have been drafted from the State House.
Farouk warned that the Labour Party is not oblivious to Governor Uzodimma’s attempts to hijack the party’s leadership in Imo State and urged party members to remain peaceful despite the provocation.
In response, the governor’s chief press secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku, called the allegation unfounded, stating, “The Labour Party’s allegation is unfounded. They should stop pointing fingers at the wrong place.”
Comments are closed for this story.