‘Explain Why You’re Still Parading Yourself’ – Gov. Otti Blasts Abure

The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti has condemned the former National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure over the continued sale of governorship nomination forms to aspirants, despite the opposition of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) to his leadership.

Reports say Otti’s outburst came after a photo of Abure presenting the Labour Party nomination form to a former National Vice Chairman of the party, Ceekay Igara and other party members.

Igara, in an interview with journalists, said the move was part of ongoing preparations ahead of pending judicial determinations affecting the party.

Igara said stakeholders were being careful to avoid a vacuum in the event of a final court ruling on the party’s leadership tussle.

“We have two cases, one at the Supreme Court and the other at the Federal High Court, he said. If we say Abure should be docile, all the 33 states that did congresses will go extinct. “If the Supreme Court gives him the structure later and the primaries have closed, what happens?

“But Governor Otti who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Ukoha Ukoha, in an interview with PUNCH, challenged Abure’s authority to continue parading himself as the National Chairman after a Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal ruled that Senator Nenadi Usman was the interim leader of the Labour Party before the convention.

Ukoha said Abure is acting in contravention of existing judicial pronouncements, adding that the Labour Party had moved on from his leadership.

“The electoral body has already aligned itself with the leadership structure that was backed by the court. “INEC could not monitor any electoral process conducted under the authority of Abure legitimately,” the Governor’s aide said.

“I think Abure is in a better position to explain the grounds on which he is still parading himself after a Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal ruled that senator Nenadi Usman was the interim leader of the Labour Party before the convention. And so the party’s moving on. The INEC has also obeyed the order of a court of competent jurisdiction to entertain the matter. That is contempt of court on part of Julius Abure.

It is left for Abure to tell Nigerians why it is issuing nomination forms in contravention of the order of a competent court.