Kano Court judgement: Hold Abure, Ibrahim responsible – Arabambi

MICHAEL-AZEEZ OGUNSIJI, Abeokuta

The factional National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi has faulted the erstwhile national chairman of the party, Julius Abure for the sacking of Abia state Governor-elect, Dr. Alex Otti.

Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Kano State has nullified the candidature of the Abia State Governor-elect, Dr Alex Otti.

Aside from Otti, the court presided over by Justice M N Yunusa also nullified the candidature of all Labour Party flagbearers in Abia and Kano States.

Yunusa ruled that their emergence was not in compliance with the 2022 Electoral Act provisions.

But Arabambi in a statement issued in Abeokuta on Friday said Abure refused to submit names of Labour Party registered members in Kano and Abia state where the party had a good outing and eventually produced a governor.

He alleged that Abure held onto the names and did not submit them to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in accordance with Section 72 of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).

He noted that, while national chairmen and Secretaries of other political parties were busy doing all that was necessary to meet the deadline for the submission of names of registered members, Abure and his secretary, Farouk Umar were busy shopping for candidates to swindle and smuggle their names into the party’s register in exchange for those who won their primaries in some parts of the country.

“Today, we have been vindicated after a Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice M N Yunusa nullified the candidature of the Abia State Governor-elect Dr Alex Otti and all the candidates of the Labour Party in Abia and Kano States due to Labour Party failures to complies with Section 72 of the Electoral Act 2022 ( as Amended). 

“The reason is unconnected with what I have lamented over in the past few months that Abure’s action was not in compliance with the provisions of the 2022 electoral act. The failure of the Labour Party to submit its membership register to the INEC within 30 days before their primaries render the process invalid.

“If we failed to comply with the provisions of the electoral act we cannot as well say that we had candidates going into the elections in the affected states.  

“Abure should come out clean and explain to Nigerians and Labour Party faithful all over the world who was he working for at the time in question. Why would any good-thinking leader of a political party that had the strength of a hurricane, go to a war where he deliberately prepared a group for the defeat of his own army? 

“This is no time for politics but a time to tell ourselves the truth. Who is Abure working for when he forged a court’s documents and seal? Who was Abure working for when he refused to send the names of these candidates to INEC at the appropriate time?

“The unsuspecting members of the Obidient family must know that this decision of the court was a grand design of Abure to cash in on Labour Party fortunes for the sole benefit of himself and immediate families 

“Today we are happy to inform you that the FCT high court has ordered the maintenance of the restraining order made by the court on April 5th 2023 pending the court judgement from the appeal.”

“Implication of today’s Judgement at the FCT high court is that the leadership of ALh BASHIRU LAMIDI APAPA and ALh SALEH Lawan remains in force and we hereby warned that all actions and decisions taken by Abure and his gangsters on behalf of the party including the Asaba NEC meeting and all primaries conducted in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa state are null and void and of no consequence.

“Affected candidates who participated in the primaries of these states must have learned from history as we will use all legal means to fight deliberate disobedience to the court order.”