The Labour Party (LP) is poised to address the controversy surrounding its National Chairman, Julius Abure, with a comprehensive statement expected from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) soon.
The Director of Media and Publicity for LP, Yunusa Tanko disclosed this development amidst growing concerns over leadership crises within the party, highlighted by Abure’s recent arrest in Benin City, Edo State.
The arrest, which took place on Wednesday, was prompted by allegations of forgery and illegal possession of firearms against Abure, following a petition by some party members.
The petitioners accused the national chairman of forging the signature of the party’s National Secretary, Kayode Ajulo, to illicitly withdraw N1.3 billion from the LP’s account.
They further alleged that Abure had issued threats against their lives should they contest his actions.
Abure has vehemently denied the accusations, asserting his innocence and claiming to possess documentary evidence supporting his defense.
He also noted that the legal disputes concerning these allegations are currently being adjudicated in court.
According to Tanko, who spoke to ARISE TV on Thursday, the Labour Party’s NWC has already initiated an internal probe into the matter, offering Abure an opportunity to defend himself against the charges.
The investigation is set to include a forensic analysis to ascertain the authenticity of the implicated signature.
Moreover, Tanko highlighted suspicions that the aggrieved members lodging the petition against Abure might be motivated by external influences seeking to destabilize the party and mar its reputation in the lead-up to the upcoming gubernatorial primary election in Edo State.
Should the investigation find Julius Abure guilty of the charges, the NWC has made it clear that he will face expulsion from the party.
He said, “I brought documents on this table to explain whether Abure did forge a signature or not. These cases were already in court and that there would be a forensic investigation to confirm whether there was actually a forgery.
The internal mechanism is going to be an investigation within the party. And the investigation within the party will give us the opportunity to come out and publicize what we’re doing to confirm whether there was a forgery or not. That also takes us to the issue of the police. This particular case is still in the court.
We started an investigation immediately after the issues were raised, which was some couple of months ago. But the problem is that before we could deal with one issue, they came up with another issue. So we feel like it’s a choreographed and a calculated attempt to bring disdain and disrespect to the party. And if you notice it, the trend is going gradually.
However, at every point in time, the national working committee will come out with a statement as regards every allegation that has been made against the chairman.”
