The National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the Labour Party has asked the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to charge the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure and three others to court over allegations of perjury, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

The committee also wants Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Ojukwu clement and Edward Nkwegu Okereke charged for the same offence by the AGF.

Addressing reporters on Monday in Abuja, Acting chairman of the Labour Party (LP) National Caretaker Committee (NCC), Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku urged the AGF to bring the “suspects to Court within seven (7) days, as directed by the Inspector General of Police, IGP.”

He said: “The Labour Party LP wishes to commend the Commissioner of Police, Legal Prosecution Section, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Force Headquarters Abuja, FCT in the Office of the Inspector General of Police, IGP who wrote to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice on the 25th October 2023, forwarding the duplicate case diary after establishing a culpable PRIMA FACIE case for which the Inspector General of Police, IGP authorised the prosecution of Julius Abure, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Ojukwu clement and Edward Nkwegu in the referenced case of perjury, forgery and criminal conspiracy CR: 3100/ X/LEG/FHQ /ABJ/VOL.II/1 dated 25th October, 2023.

“This demand to ensure that Julius Abure and others are prosecuted without further delays is additionally a public consensus in collaboration with the over 500 civil society organisation (CSO), and all the conveners of anti-corruption initiatives that shall mobilise not less 1000 persons per group to demand for the immediate prosecution of Julius Abure, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Ojukwu clement and others in line with this press briefing.

“That the The Labour Party National Caretake Committee, NCC has noted with great bewilderment how the suspects Julius Abure goes about bragging and boasting that as far as his sister remains the permanent secretary of Ministry of Justice in Abuja, that nobody can prosecute him nor his criminal accomplices.

“That these criminal elements violated with impunity the FCT High Court Restraining Order of 4th April 2023 that restrained Julius Abure, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Ojukwu clement for perjury, forgery and criminal conspiracy from parading themselves as National officials of the Labour Party LP and how they proceeded to conduct illegal and unlawful NEC meeting in Asaba Delta State on 17th April 2023 while on subsisting FCT High Court Restraining Order and yet paraded themselves as officials of the Labour Party in Nigeria is still a mystery and their unlawful action rendered illegal null and void.

“That the The Labour Party National Caretake Committee, NCC hereby call on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (HAGF-MJ) to without further delay bring the suspects to Court within seven (7) days, as directed by the Inspector General of Police, IGP.”

But the National Publicity Secretary of the Abure – led faction, Obiora Ifoh in a statement said the statement in “entirety is fallacious, misleading and a calculated attempt to malign the image of Barrister Julius Abure, the National Chairman of the Labour Party.”

Ifoh said: “First the forensic report and the investigative Police report from the Police have stated clearly that there was no forgery. The file that was forwarded to the Attorney General has since been returned to the Police on the ground that the forensic report exonerated the four persons clearly. Meaning that they have no case to answer and this is to the knowledge of Prof Ndubaku and his Co jesters. It is therefore laughable that someone will be giving ultimatum to the Attorney General of the Federation in a case that is not in existence. It is therefore clear that Mr. Ndubaku and his gang are acting in bad fate, using every available opportunity to tarnish the image of the party. Members of the Public has since known them for their rascality.

“Secondly, it is in the public domain that some of these people assiduously and violently working to take over the leadership of the party are not even members of the party, including Ndubaku. The NLC according to the laws that established it has no power to even set up the Political Commission in the first instance. Letters from INEC, Ministry of Labour and other quarters have pointed to this fact. Also, the last time I checked, the leadership of the NLC in their last NEC meeting set up a committee to work out an alliance between it and other political parties ahead of 2027 general election. So Ndubaku and his cohorts are even not aware that the cabal that set his Transition Committee has since left the bus stop. So who are they working for?

“Let me sincerely advise Mr. Ndubaku and his co-travellers to go and look for another job to do. In this political business, Labour Party is different from other political parties. We have shown that we are a great and purposeful organisation working for the greater interest of Nigeria. These men must be dreaming if they think that they can hijack the Labour Party and use it for their selfish goal. Labour Party is not available for that, and I advice them to go and find a decent job to do. No amount of pressure, blackmail or false information can force the leadership to handover the party to them.”

Siminalayi Fubara’s hatchet man Ikenga Ugochinyere backpedals as he voted in support of Emergency Rule in Rivers State on Thursday.

He however gave an excuse saying: “I counseled Fubara to show humility, but he failed to listen.

Politics of stomach infrastructure smelling!

Seventeen out of the 18 local government chairmen in Edo State on Wednesday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress.

However, the acting Chairman of Oredo Local Government, Harrison Izekor, was notably absent from the defection ceremony, which took place at the New Festival Hall in the Government House.

The LG chairmen defection comes days after PDP lawmakers in the state House of Assembly defected to the APC, giving the ruling party majority status in the legislature.

On Wednesday, Governor Mondday Okpebholo welcomed the new members to the APC, praising their courage and political foresight in making the decision to leave the PDP.

He emphasised the transformation his administration had brought to the state in just four months, highlighting his efforts to change the state’s narrative and improve the lives of its people.

“Let me draw your minds back to where we are coming from as an administration. We practically met Edo that was not working when we came into office. What we met in Edo were insecurity, killings, looting of state treasury using consultants to deceive Edo people and other backward policies implemented by the Obaseki-led administration, but we came and changed the narrative,” he said.

Governor Okpebholo also expressed gratitude to former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Senator representing Edo North, and the APC State Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, for their continuous support.

He thanked the councillors for voicing the concerns of their communities, which ultimately led to the impeachment of the previous chairmen and the appointment of the new ones.

He said, “I also thank the councillors who spoke for their various communities through the impeachment exercises in the councils and subsequent appointment of these new chairmen across the 17 local government areas of the State.”

Okpebholo and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa, reiterated their commitment to the state’s development, stating that they had come to rescue Edo State from its previous state of decline.

He said: “We are committed to the development of Edo State. We have come to rescue the state.”

The governor expressed hope that more opposition party leaders would join the APC due to his administration’s infrastructural strides.

He added: “I am optimistic that leaders of the opposition parties in the state would join the APC fold following my infrastructural development strides in the state.”

The party’s secretary, Lawrence Okah, who received the new members, urged them to unite with existing APC members to support the governor’s vision for a developed Edo State.

He said: “The desire of the governor is to unite the State and ensure the people enjoy the dividends of democracy through his developmental strides.”

Responding on behalf of the new chairmen, the ALGON chairman and Chairman of Esan Central Local Government Area, Kelvin Iyere, thanked the governor and APC members for accepting them into the party.

He stated: “We decided to decamp from PDP because of the crisis in our party and our love for the development that Governor Okpebholo has brought to Edo State.”

Okpebholo also expressed support for President Bola Tinubu, emphasisng that the APC was poised to secure a re-election victory in 2027.

However, Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee in Edo State, Chris Nehikhare, accused Okpebholo of using state resources to bribe councillors into defecting to the APC.

He said: “Senator Monday Okpebholo has summoned all councillors from the 18 local councils of Edo State, in a desperate attempt to woo them with N2m each to decamp to the All Progressives Congress.”

He described the use of state funds to buy political loyalty as “reckless” and “unacceptable.”

“We condemn in the strongest terms the reckless use of state resources to purchase support and loyalty, while critical sectors of the state remain in dire need of government intervention, from security to public safety and order, revenue generation, education, and healthcare, among others,” Nehikhare said.

He urged Okpebholo to redirect resources toward addressing the state’s pressing issues, such as security, education, healthcare, and public safety, rather than using them for political gains.

“Rather than wasting resources on buying political support and loyalty, we urge him to channel these resources into meaningful projects that will positively impact the people of the State during his short period at Dennis Osadebe Avenue,” he said.