The Edo State chapter of the Labour Party has rubbished the purported suspension of the party’s national chairman, Barr Julius Abure.
The party passed a vote of confidence on Abure following his alleged suspension by some members of the party in Abuja.
The Edo State executives of the party came to Abuja to declare their support for Abure and described the suspension as the handiwork of impostors being sponsored by other political parties to destabilise the success recorded by the party.
Some groups claiming to be ward three executives of the party in Edo State, led by the ward’s chairman, Martins Osigbemhe, in a press conference, last week in Abuja, announced the suspension of the LP national chairman over allegations of forgery, perjury, mismanagement of funds, anti-party activities, among others.
Speaking, the chairman of the Edo State chapter of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi, said the constitution of the party doesn’t empower any group or party members to suspend a national officer who was elected by a national convention, talk less of those he described as impostors who were not registered party members.
He said, “Barr Julius Abure remains the national chairman of our party and we have since passed a vote of confidence on him and he shall take this party forward. No reasonable person will come and be talking about the suspension of a chairman who had delivered on the election that we just have concluded.
“Those who did it don’t even understand the message they were asked to deliver. It’s nonsense when few boys assembled themselves in Abuja and made the pronouncement they made. For once, they are not members of the party, they are not at the ward, they are not at the local government and they are not recognised at the state level.
“In the constitution of the Labour Party, no state, no local government, no ward has the right or whatsoever to assemble anywhere to suspend a national chairman who is a product of a national convention. It may be possible in other political parties but not in the Labour Party.”
He said whatever action was carried out by the group had no effect on the leadership of the party.
On his part, the local government chairman, Esan East, Edo State, Patrick Obed dismissed the purported suspension of Abure.
He said: “He (Barr Abure) is the national chairman and at the local government level we have not suspended him, at the ward level and at the senatorial level we have not suspended him. He has been good to us, he has been working assiduously to move the party forward and I believe those claiming to be members of the party who suspended him, I don’t know them facially, they are carrying a black rumour which is meant to dent our party.”
The chairman of Ward 3, Esan East LGA, Thompson Ehiguese, said they came to Abuja to clear the air on the purported suspension of the party chairman by “some persons impersonating the ward chairmen and ward executives of Ward 3, Esan North Senatorial zone.”
He added, “I am the chairman of Ward 3 in my local government and with me here is my secretary. We are here to dismiss the information about the suspension; it is not correct. Ward 3, Uromi where the national chairman came from. I am his ward chairman.
“The truth of the matter is that those who claimed to have suspended the national chairman are not members of the party. Their names are not in our party register. They are not even from Esan and they are not from ward six. We are taking major action against them. They are impersonators and they will be arrested.”
