Police Seal Off Labour Party Secretariat In Imo 

The Imo State headquarters of the Labour Party (LP) in Owerri has been sealed off by Police operatives.

Armed security operatives arrived the party secretariat along Wetheral Road by Old Ogboshishi Road on Monday and refused access to anyone into the property.

This is even as a source, who pleaded anonymity, claimed it was the donor of the property, Libo Agwara, who requested the Police to help retrieve his personal property.

But, in a swift reaction, LP National Secretary, Umar Farouk, in a statement, accused Governor Hope Uzodimma of using thugs and unauthorised Police operatives to invade the party secretariat.

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Farouk said, “The national leadership of the Labour Party is shocked over the invasion and occupation of its secretariat in Owerri, today, Monday April 3, 2023 by the agents of Imo state Governor, Hope Uzodimma, including thugs and unauthorized police men drafted from the Government House.

“Such illegal occupation of the secretariat was akin to similar invasion on the same Secretariat on Wednesday March 15, 2023.”

According to him, no court order has been presented to back the sealing off of the building, saying: “Unlike the March invasion, where no reason was given by the state government on why it took such unlawful action against our political party, this time, they said that the action was due to a Court Order. But as at the moment, no such order to our knowledge was given. No Order has been presented to us by the court or their agents.

“The Police men presently occupying our secretariat have not even shown us the order. At the moment, all our officials and staff have been barred from accessing the Secretariat.”

Further, the party disclosed plans by Uzodimma to allegedly hijack the governorship primary election of the party, adding that, “The Labour Party however is not unmindful of the efforts of the Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma to hijack the leadership of the Party in Imo state. These actions have confirmed the information available to us of plots by the governor to plant some surrogates wearing the garments of aspirants in the party. This game plan, as archaic as it seems, has been detected and punctured, the consequences being the aggression unleashed on the party by the state government.”

Farouk disclosed that already they had contacted the Inspector General of Police on the development even as the authorities insisted they were not aware of any security breach to warrant the action, adding that the police maintained that they did not send any operative for the action.

He said, “The Police have also informed us that it has not detailed any of their officers and men to the Labour Party Secretariat in Imo state; and that the officers may have been drafted from the State House in the state.”

The party stated their determination to take over the Douglas House in thr forthcoming 2023 Imo State governorship election, noting that the “state had been deprived of good and quality leadership. The resources of the state have being balkanized and liquidated by the administrations in the past.

“Labour Party is therefore assuring the state that it will field as its governorship candidate, a person with proven integrity in both personal and public life; and with OBidient blood running in his or her veins. No amount of intimidation by Governor Hope Uzodimma and his army of thugs will deter the party from fielding and winning the governorship election.”

However, in a swift reaction, spokesperson to Governor Uzodimma, Oguwike Nwachuku, said that the allegation against his principal was unfounded, saying “Labour Party’s allegation is unfounded. They should stop pointing fingers at the wrong place.”