LP kicks as NLC seeks Abure, others’ prosecution over forgery allegations

The crisis rocking the Labour Party took a new twist on Monday when the Nigeria Labour Congress wrote the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, demanding the arraignment of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and three members of the National Working Committee over a protracted case of forgery and criminal conspiracy.

The three other indicted officials have since been identified as the National Secretary of the party, Umar Farouk, Ojukwu Clement, and Edward Okereke, who are members of the NWC.

The acting National Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Prof Theophilus Ndubuaku, made the demand at a joint press conference with former National Youth Leader of LP, Anslem Eragbe and Chairman of the Nigerian Corruption Watch, Prince Dandy Rowland.

The development comes exactly one year after two Labour Party governorship candidates and a House of Representatives candidate called for Abure’s prosecution, having established forgery allegations against him.

The aggrieved candidates are the Governorship Candidate of Ebonyi State, Splendour Eze; Edo House of Reps Candidate, Murphy Imasuen and Plateau Governorship Candidate, Yohana Mangif.

But Ndubuaku insisted that there is a need to sanitise the party to avoid giving Nigerians and other stakeholders a wrong impression.

The NLC chieftain also said, as members of the Labour Party National Caretaker Committee, they have issued the office of the AGF seven days to effect the prosecution of Abure and the three NWC members.

He said, “The Nigeria Police Force Legal Department had long ago advised that the suspects be charged to court. And despite our repeated enquiries, the relevant authorities have not been able to give us any explanation as to the reason(s) Julius Abure and others have not been prosecuted.

“We believe that continued delay of this case will rubbish Mr President’s anti-corruption fight before the whole world. The non-compliance with the IGP Prosecution order is, no doubt, undermining justice.

“The Labour Party National Caretaker Committee hereby call on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to, without further delay, bring the suspects to court within seven days, as directed by the Inspector General of Police.”

Ndubuaku also commended the complainant, Eze Oko, whose signature and necessary vital details were forged, for allegedly rejecting monetary bribes and overtures made to him to drop the case.

Oko was LP’s governorship candidate in Ebonyi State in the 2023 election.

Reacting via a phone interview, the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, dismissed the threat as a lost battle.

“They usually come up with this report any time there is a major election around. This was a case that has been struck out by the police and the court.

“I am sure they are bringing this one up again, probably because they have collected money from unsuspecting aspirants with a praise to give them Labour Party ticket for the forthcoming Anambra governorship election,” he said,

The party also released a statement to counter the NLC and the LP National Caretaker Committee’s claim.

It partly read, “Our attention has been drawn to a press conference held by Prof Ndubuaku, a self-acclaimed chairman of the LP Transition Committee, in the company of a sacked former member of the Labour Party and a few other unknown faces wherein they attempted to hoodwink the public as done severally in the past.

“The statement in its entirety is fallacious, misleading and a calculated attempt to malign the image of Barrister Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party. First, the forensic report and the investigative Police report from the Police have stated clearly that there was no forgery.

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