LP passes vote of confidence on national chairman, declares suspension illegal

Labour Party on Monday passed a vote of confidence on its National Chairman, Julius Abure, who was allegedly suspended by a factional group of the party.

The party recalled that some groups who claimed to be Ward 3 executives of the party in Edo, led by the Ward’s Chairman, Martins Osigbemhe, had earlier announced the suspension of the LP national chairman .

The suspension was over allegations of forgery, perjury, mismanagement of funds, anti-party activities, among others.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Chairman of the party in Edo State, Mr Kelly Ogbaloi, said that the constitution of the party did not empower any group or party members to suspend a national officer who was elected by national convention.

He said “imposters “who were not registered party members cannot suspend him, so their action is out of ignorance.

“Those who did it do not even understand the message they were asked to deliver.

“It’s nonsense when few boys assembled themselves in Abuja and made the pronouncement they made.

“Those that issued the suspension were not members of the party, nobody knows them at ward level nor Local Government level talk more of the state level.

“In the constitution of Labour Party, no state, no local government, no ward has the right or whatsoever to assemble anywhere to suspend a national chairman who is a product of a national convention,” he said.

Ogbaloi said that it might be possible in other political parties but not in Labour Party.

He said that whatever action carried out by the group, had no effect on the leadership of the party.

“Mr Julius Abure remains the National Chairman of our party and we have since passed a vote of confidence on him and he shall take this party forward.

“No reasonable person will come and be talking about the suspension of a chairman who had delivered on the just concluded elections,” he said.

Mr Patrick Obed, the Local Government Chairman, Esan East, Edo, said that the suspension of Abure was a rumour and a rift.

According to him, Abure is the National Chairman and has not been suspended at any level.

“He has been good to us, he has been working assiduously to move the party forward,” he said.

Mr Thompson Ehiguese, Chairman Ward 3, Esan East LGA, said they came to Abuja to clear the air on the purported suspension by some persons impersonating as the ward chairman and ward executives of ward 3 Esan North Senatorial zone.

“We are here to dismiss the information about the suspension, that is not correct. Ward 3, Uromi, where the national chairman hails from. I am his ward chairman.

“The truth of the matter is that those who claimed to have suspended the national chairman are not members of the party.

“Their names are not in our party register. They are impersonators and they will be arrested,” he said.