Abia State Governor Alex Otti’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, has blasted the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, who is now on suspension, saying that Abure is to blame for the party’s internal strife.
“Mr. Abure is the one destroying the Labour Party,” Ekeoma said during an interview that aired on Wednesday on Nigeria Info FM. By compromising the party’s progressive principles, he is betraying Nigerians as a whole.
He said that Abure had betrayed the party’s honor for his own gain and that, when the time was right, he would provide proof.
“We will demonstrate that this individual betrayed the party’s principles for his own benefit when the time is right,” he declared.
The absence of an organizational presence in numerous states, including Abia, was one among the points raised by Ekeoma in his criticism of Abure’s leadership style.
The Labour Party, for example, had no presence in Abia prior to the involvement of Governor Alex Otti and others. He made the observation that Abure behaved as if the party had a strong presence nationwide.
Despite denying any wrongdoing, Ekeoma did acknowledge that Abure and other party leaders had received logistical and financial support leading up to the 2023 elections.
I am avoiding the topic of bribes. What I mean is assistance. Helping out the party or the national chairman wasn’t wrong. However, he did mention that compromises were there in all places. Ekeoma sarcastically brushed off Abure’s public challenge for proof when questioned about it.
Abure would not be gloating if he truly wanted the best for the party. It’s just funny to us. “He believes he’s dealing with children,” he remarked.
The political movement that once enchanted millions of Nigerians, especially young and urban voters, is now overshadowed by the Labour Party’s internal strife. His detractors say that suspended National Chairman Julius Abure’s acts run counter to the party’s founding principles, even if he insists on defending his integrity.
On Tuesday, SaharaReporters reported that Abure had boldly challenged Peter Obi and other candidates, requesting that they provide proof of any funds that were supposedly donated to them or the party for the 2023 general election.
Abure flatly rejected the idea that any of the contenders, including Peter Obi, the party’s presidential nominee for 2023, had given him money in a Symfoni video broadcast.
Abure threatened to expose Obi and others in the opposition faction, saying, “If provoked, I will not hesitate to expose you. You will smell like rotten eggs. Abure, while addressing party members at the nation’s capital, made the following declarations:
All of them have my task. On television, I saw them discussing corruption. Everyone who ran for office, starting with Peter Obi, I am challenging today. They should come clean about their contributions, whether it was to the party or to me personally.
Just hiding and making broad accusations of corruption is not going to cut it. Just who donated the funds? Guess who got it? Did you get it? Please present proof; I dare them. Plus, if they’re unable to speak up, then let them stay mute forever.
Abure has reportedly dropped hints that he may convene a global press conference to address the allegations head-on. For the time being, he has remained silent out of respect and a desire for peace, he said.
Because I was in a position of leadership, I chose to remain silent, thinking that maybe they were only learning and would change their minds. I remained silent throughout the conversations that revolved around agents and funding.
Whatever came my way, good, bad, or ugly, I decided to carry on. Leadership is that. A imperfect child is not something to be discarded, he said.
I stepped out and let go of the perimeter of what transpired when I noticed that certain people were pushing themselves too far. Plus, I have no doubt that the family living there is no longer together in its current state.
Everywhere they go, they will be met with the same fate as a stinky, rotten egg: unmarketable and unwelcome. I am patiently waiting for them to do something else before I speak up.
Julius Abure, criticizing the lone current governor of the Labour Party, Alex Otti of Abia State, remarked, “Look at the governor, jumping around from one place to another—we didn’t collect a single kobo from him.
” He ought to take the initiative and disclose to whoever he may have given money. For the simple reason that we wanted to see politics changed, we invited everyone without asking for anything in return.
“He said to me, ‘Chairman, what do I do for you?'” when we first met at Transcorp. “Nothing,” I replied. Collect your funds and use them for the election.
“We supported them but today the party has no N1,000 from any of them, not from the governor elected that we have suspended now or from the senators and the House of Reps members, apart from some them.”