By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The National Working Committee of the Labour Party, on Saturday, 25 May, 2024 picked holes in the suspension of its National Chairman, Julius Abure.
The committee said the Edo State chapter has no locus standi to take such action without recourse to its constitution.
The National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, described the suspension as illegal and unconstitutional in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, 25 May, 2025.
Ifoh stated that Article 17 Subsection 1 of the 2019 constitution of the Labour Party is clear that only a national convention arranged solely for the purpose of his suspension with a two-thirds majority can suspend or remove the national chairman.
He said, “The ward, LG or even the state have no power to suspend the National Chairman. Besides, an Edo High Court and Appeal Court had also ruled on this matter.
“This dimension is a continuation of the attack on the person of Abure as witnessed during the governorship primaries. It will also amount to nothing and we are not perturbed.”
The embattled national chairman was suspended by his Ward in the Arue-Uromi area of Esan North-East Local Government in Edo State for alleged high-handedness and anti-party activities.
A letter of suspension dated May 14, 2024, and another letter of ratification dated May 15, 2024, both of which were ratified at a meeting of the state executive committee on Friday night in Benin, stated that the suspension is with immediate effect.
It advised Abure to stop holding out or parading himself as a member of the party.
The State Executive Committee led by Kelly Ogbaloi was also reported to have endorsed the decisions of the ward and local government committee of the party on Friday.
As at the time of filing this report, Abure has yet to respond to his purported suspension and the allegation of anti-party activities
