The National Working Committee of the Labour Party (LP) has rejected the suspension of its National Chairman, Julius Abure, announced on Saturday. The committee asserted that the Edo State chapter lacks the authority to take such action without following the party’s constitution.

National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh, in a statement issued in Abuja, called the suspension illegal and unconstitutional. He referenced Article 17, Subsection 1 of the 2019 Labour Party constitution, which states that only a national convention convened specifically for the purpose of suspension, and with a two-thirds majority, can remove the national chairman.

Ifoh clarified, “The ward, local government, or state levels have no power to suspend the National Chairman. Moreover, an Edo High Court and an Appeal Court have already ruled on this matter. This move is a continuation of the attacks on Abure, as seen during the governorship primaries. It will have no effect, and we are not concerned.”

Julius Abure was suspended by his ward in the Arue-Uromi area of Esan North-East Local Government in Edo State for alleged high-handedness and anti-party activities. A suspension letter dated May 14, 2024, and a ratification letter dated May 15, 2024, were approved at a state executive committee meeting on Friday night in Benin. The suspension is effective immediately, and Abure was advised to stop presenting himself as a party member.

The State Executive Committee, led by Kelly Ogbaloi, endorsed the decisions of the ward and local government committee on Friday.

Attempts to contact Abure for a response to his purported suspension and the allegations of anti-party activities were unsuccessful, as his phone lines were switched off at the time of reporting.