Following issues raised over its 2023 election campaign fund, the forum of state chairmen of the Labour Party (LP) in the 36 states has demanded the national chairman, Mr Julius Abure to step aside to allow proper and fair investigation into the issue.
Led by the Plateau State LP chairman, Mr Solomon Ndem, the members of the forum made the demand while addressing journalists on Saturday in Abuja.
They called on LP presidential candidate in the last election, Mr Peter Obi and other LP stalwarts to prevail on Abure to step aside in the overall interest of fairness.
A statement made available to journalists in Bauchi read: “We stand before you with a profound appreciation for the responsiveness of His Excellency Peter Obi, a stalwart in our party, for his swift action in response to the call for the external auditing of the LP accounts.
“However, we find ourselves at a critical juncture where we must address certain internal matters for the sake of our party’s integrity In the spirit of openness and accountability as elected chairmen of Labour Party, we wish to address certain concerns that have come to our attention.
“We are appealing to His Excellency, Peter Obi, Senator Ahmed Datti, and other distinguished personalities within the party to join us in requesting Barrister Julius Abure to step aside.
“This step is essential to facilitate the establishment of an independent investigative panel that will thoroughly examine various allegations, including the misappropriation of funds levelled against him by the treasurer of our party and indeed the complaints of forgery and impersonation by a lot of our party aggrieved members.
“It is crucial that no one acts as a judge in his own case, and we believe this measure will ensure a fair and impartial inquiry.
“Furthermore, we want to draw attention to a critical matter that could impact the upcoming off-season election in Edo State. We want to remind the party and the people of Edo State about the potential repercussions if we emerge victorious and these legal complexities surrounding the leadership of the party are not addressed.
“A high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) led by Justice Hamza Muazu, on April 5th, 2023, restrained Barrister Abure from parading himself as the national chairman of the LP. It is imperative for the party and the people of Edo State to consider this matter seriously, as the actions of one individual should not jeopardise the efforts of our candidate and the aspirations of our voters in Edo State.”
