The Labour Party (LP) has rejected the suspension of its National Chairman, Mr. Julius Abure, by the Edo State chapter of the party. Abure’s suspension, which was attributed to allegations of high-handedness and anti-party activities, was announced by his Ward 3 in Arue-Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State. This decision was subsequently ratified by the LGA chapter and approved by the State Working Committee (SWC).
The suspension letter, dated May 14, 2024, cited “high-handedness and anti-party activities” as reasons for Abure’s removal, alongside other allegations of fraud. The letter of ratification followed on May 15, 2024, and both documents were confirmed at a state executive committee meeting held on Friday night in Benin City.
The suspension letter, signed by Ward Chairman Thompson Ehiguese and Ward Secretary Stanley Usiomoh, instructed Abure to cease identifying as a member of Labour Party Ward 3, Arue, Uromi. The ratification letter was forwarded to the State Executive Committee by the LGA Chairman, Patrick Onogbeni, and LGA Secretary, Ehikioya Eromosele, affirming the suspension.
However, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, dismissed the suspension as invalid. He cited Article 17, subsection 1 of the party’s constitution, which states that only a National Convention convened for the purpose of removing the National Chairman with a two-thirds majority can suspend or remove the chairman.
In a statement, Ifoh emphasized that the ward, LGA, or even the state do not have the constitutional authority to suspend the National Chairman. “Against the fake news being disseminated in the media, the national chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Julius Abure, has not been suspended by the ward executive of Ward 3, Arue, Utomi, Esan North East of Edo State,” he said.
He further mentioned a viral video in which Ward Chairman Thompson Ehiguese debunked the suspension, asserting the ward’s loyalty to Abure and acknowledging their lack of authority to remove him. Ifoh reiterated that only the National Convention can enact such a suspension.
Additionally, Ifoh referred to a Court of Appeal ruling from August 14, 2023, under Presiding Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji-Abadua, which corroborated that the National Chairman of the Labour Party cannot be suspended or removed by a ward executive.
The party leadership is investigating the origins of the purported suspension letter and plans to discipline any party officer found guilty of contravening party rules.
