By Eshiorameh Sebastian, Abuja
The Julius Abure led-faction of Labour Party has issued a stern warning condemning Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for what it describes as “unwarranted attacks” on its National Chairman, Julius Abure, including calls for his arrest.
The party also raised the alarm over alleged threats to Abure and members of the National Working Committee (NWC), urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and caution the governor against what it termed “undemocratic conduct.”
In the statement released by the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim on Monday, the party expressed dismay over Otti’s recent remarks, in which he reportedly referred to Abure as a “clown in search of a crown.” It dismissed the comment as unbecoming of a sitting governor, insisting that Abure was instrumental to Otti’s emergence as governor in the 2023 elections.
“We ordinarily do not respond to every outburst from suspended members, but given Governor Otti’s repeated threats, we can no longer stay silent,” the statement read. “His recent call for the arrest of our National Chairman is one provocation too many. We call on well-meaning Nigerians, including President Tinubu, to rein in the governor before his actions escalate into a full-blown crisis.”
The party recalled that Otti had previously ordered the arrest of its National Vice Chairman, Comrade Ceekay Igara, and Abia State Chairman, Prince Ndubeze, for holding a lawful party meeting in Aba earlier this year. In April, Otti was also alleged to have issued a “doomsday” warning against Abure and the NWC during a gathering of dissenting party members in Abuja.
The Labour Party further questioned Otti’s moral standing to disparage Abure, reminding the public that the governor had relied on the party’s platform after being “rejected by virtually every other political party in Nigeria” in 2022. “When Otti came to us, genuflecting and seeking a lifeline, Abure was already a king in his own right—the king who made Otti what he is today,” the statement asserted. “How then does a man who owes his governorship to our chairman turn around to call him a clown?”
The party also dismissed insinuations that Abure was “in search of a crown,” pointing out that Otti himself had led a delegation of his cabinet members and state lawmakers to Nnewi, Anambra State, in March 2024 to endorse Abure’s re-election as National Chairman during the party’s convention. “Who, then, is the real clown?” the statement queried. “The same governor who celebrated Abure’s leadership months ago is now singing a different tune. This is nothing but political amnesia.”
Accusing Otti of attempting to destabilise the Labour Party ahead of the 2027 elections, the statement alleged that the governor had “abandoned the party that made him” and was now “unleashing an unnecessary crisis” within its ranks. It also refuted claims that the Supreme Court had stripped Abure of his position, clarifying that the apex court had only ruled that internal party leadership disputes were non-justiciable.
“The Supreme Court did not remove Abure, nor did it hand over our party to Otti and his allies,” the statement emphasised. “We urge all aggrieved members to respect the court’s decision and recognise the supremacy of the party’s internal mechanisms.”
The Labour Party’s statement concluded with an appeal for restraint, warning that further attacks on its leadership would be met with “appropriate political and legal resistance.”
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