The ongoing crisis within the Labour Party worsened on Monday as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) formally petitioned the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, demanding the immediate prosecution of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and three other top officials over allegations of forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The accused officials include the party’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk, and National Working Committee (NWC) members, Ojukwu Clement and Edward Okereke.
This latest development follows long-standing accusations that have dogged Abure’s leadership. Exactly a year ago, three Labour Party candidates, Ebonyi governorship aspirant Splendour Eze, Plateau’s Yohana Mangif, and Edo’s House of Representatives candidate Murphy Imasuen, called for his prosecution, alleging that they had uncovered damning evidence of forgery.
Addressing newsmen on Monday, Acting National Chairman of the NLC Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, alongside former LP National Youth Leader Anslem Eragbe and Chairman of the Nigerian Corruption Watch, Prince Dandy Rowland, insisted that the party must be cleansed of corruption to maintain public trust.
“We cannot afford to allow these allegations to go unaddressed,” Ndubuaku said. “The Nigeria Police Force Legal Department has long recommended that these individuals be charged in court. Yet, despite our repeated inquiries, no action has been taken. We are giving the Attorney General seven days to act on this case.”
He warned that failure to prosecute Abure and his co-accused would undermine President Bola Tinubu’s anti-corruption drive.
“Delaying this case further will send a wrong message to the world about Nigeria’s commitment to justice,” he added.
Ndubuaku also praised Eze Oko, the Labour Party’s 2023 Ebonyi governorship candidate and the primary complainant in the case, for allegedly resisting financial inducements to drop his allegations.
However, the Labour Party swiftly dismissed the NLC’s demands, calling them a politically motivated distraction.
The party issued an official statement, dismissing the NLC’s claims as “misleading and malicious.”
“The forensic and police reports have exonerated these officials,” the statement read.
“The Attorney General has already sent the file back to the police, confirming that there is no case to answer. It is laughable that someone is now issuing an ultimatum over a non-existent case.”