Abia State Governor Alex Otti has called on Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to arrest Julius Abure, a factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), for alleged impersonation, dismissing Abure’s claims of suspending him from the party as a “desperate joke.” Otti’s office condemned the move by Abure’s faction, labeling it an “affront to democracy” by “inconsequential irritants” seeking economic gain.
In a statement issued Wednesday by Special Adviser on Media Ferdinand Ekeoma, Otti emphasized that the Supreme Court had already stripped Abure of his role as LP chairman, affirming a National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman as the party’s legitimate leadership. The governor accused Abure of attempting to deflect scrutiny after being summoned by the caretaker committee to address allegations of financial misconduct, impersonation, and anti-party activities.
“Abure’s laughable statement is a reckless ploy to misuse Governor Otti’s name for self-serving agendas,” the statement read, urging the public to disregard the suspension. It further demanded the police arrest Abure for “impersonation” and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling to “preserve judicial integrity and protect democracy.”
The caretaker committee, constituted following the court’s decision, had recently initiated disciplinary proceedings against Abure. Otti’s camp framed his alleged suspension as a retaliatory act, asserting that Abure’s faction holds no legitimate authority. The governor’s office reiterated its alignment with the Usman-led committee, which it described as constitutionally recognized.
The statement concluded with a sharp rebuke of Abure’s faction, dismissing its members as “clowns in desperate search of a crown they do not deserve,” and reaffirmed Otti’s focus on governance amid the political dispute.
