LP Begs Tinubu To Rein In Gov. Otti Over Alleged Threats To Abure, NWC Members

By Tom Okpe

The Julius Abure led faction of the Labour Party, LP, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti over his recent threat on the Party Chairman and members of its National Working Committee, NWC.

The Party recalled that in the last few months, Dr Otti had ordered arrest and detention of National Vice Chairman, Comrade Ceekay Igara, the State Chairman, Prince Ndubueze and other leaders of the Party for holding a lawful Party meeting in Aba, Abia State.

It also alleged that in April this year, at a meeting of some members of the Party held at Transcorp Hotel Abuja, Governor Otti, threatened Abure and his leadership with a ‘doomsday’ remark.

According to Umar Farouk Ibrahim, National Secretary of the Party in Abuja on Monday, the recent threat of Governor Otti, to arrest Abure and the NWC members, for suspending him is one threat, too many.

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“We are calling on President Tinubu to rein in on the Governor, and to remind him that there is no place for tyranny in a democratic system. We advice Governor Otti to know that, ‘Our Lives Matter,’ politics or not.”

Ibrahim said: “Attention of the Party’s NWC has been drawn to a statement issued by Abia State Governor, Dr Otti where he again disparaged the National Chairman of the LP, Barr Abure, càlling for his arrest.

“We are not only condemning this despicable action of the Governor who was recently suspended by the Party, but are also seeking the intervention of well meaning Nigerians, including President Tinubu to persuade the Governor from further threat to our Party, and its leadership.

“We ordinarily do not always respond to rantings of most of our members who are undergoing disciplinary actions, but on a deeper reflection and going by recent actions especially by this same Governor, we deemed it necessary to point out that,several threats coming from the Governor and his agents in the last few months must not be swept under the carpet.

“Through his media aide, Otti also alleged that Abure is a ‘clown in search of a crown’. We are shocked that the Governor could condescend that low, because as at 2022 when the Governor joined the Party after he was rejected by virtually every other political Parties in Nigeria, Abure was already wearing a beaded crown.”

The National Secretary also, reminded Otti that the Party provided him the platform, gave him forms, gave him waivers, supported him and campaigned for him saying; “We rejected overtures and several offers which could have ended Otti’s ambition.

“We have repeatedly said that Governor Otti is on a mission to stifle life out of the LP, ahead of 2027 general election before making way to his already known preferred destination. If not, why would a Governor who has absolute cooperation with the leadership of his Party at the centre, a Governor who has publicly told the world that God used Abure to make him Governor, suddenly vacillate and somersaulted, and by so doing, unleashed an unnecessary crisis in his own Party, where he once called the shots.

“We want to reiterate that the Supreme Court did not remove Abure as the National Chairman of the Party, neither did it hand over the Party to Otti and his cohorts led by Nenadi Usman.

“The Supreme Court’s position was that the matter of leadership in a political Party is not justiciable and that no court has the jurisdiction to entertain Party leadership matter because it is purely an internal affair of the party.

“The Supreme Court also did not set aside the Court of Appeal judgement of 13 November 2024, which affirmed Abure as the National Chairman of the Party. We therefore, appeal to all our estranged members to allow reasons to prevail and obey the Supreme Court pronouncement on supremacy of the Party,” he added.