LP spokesman slams NLC’s call for Abure’s probe as political gimmick

 

The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has dismissed the recent call by the Nigeria Labour Congress for the probe of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and others over allegations of forgery, describing it as a waste of time and a political ploy.

 

Arabambi, in a statement on Tuesday, said the allegations had long been settled by a March 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, as well as forensic and police investigative reports, which cleared Abure of any wrongdoing.

 

His reaction followed a demand by the NLC Political Commission Chairman, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Corruption Watch, Dandy Rowland, for Abure’s prosecution over allegations of perjury, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.

 

The Senator Nanedi Usman-led Labour Party Caretaker Committee had also insisted that Abure and some national officers of the party be prosecuted, lamenting what it described as an unjustifiable delay in their prosecution.

 

However, Arabambi described the calls as a desperate attempt to tarnish the reputation of Abure and the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Umar Ibrahim.

 

“The forensic report and the police investigative report clearly stated that there was no forgery. The case file forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation was returned to the police on the grounds that the forensic report exonerated all four accused persons,” Arabambi stated.

He further noted that the Court of Appeal judgment, delivered on March 6, 2023, by Justices Hamma Akawu Barka, Adebukola Banjoko, and Peter Chudi Obiorah in suit No. CA/ABJ//CV/559/2023, set aside all allegations of forgery, perjury, and conspiracy, adding that only the Supreme Court has the authority to overturn the ruling.

 

He maintained that the Inspector General of Police cannot be blamed for refusing to prosecute Abure, as the appellate court’s ruling prevented any further legal action on the matter.

 

Arabambi also took a swipe at Ndubuaku and NLC President, Joe Ajaero, accusing them of attempting to use intimidation tactics to discredit the party leadership.

 

“At this point, Ndubuaku and his master, Joe Ajaero, must understand that Abure, Ibrahim, and Clement Ojukwu have no case to answer. It is laughable that someone is issuing ultimatums to the Attorney General of the Federation over a case already settled by the Court of Appeal,” he said.

 

He insisted that the continued attempts to smear the party leadership through what he termed baseless allegations would not be tolerated.