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Labour Party chairmen in 19 Northern states, FCT condemn Arabambi over attacks on Peter Obi
The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) has taken a fresh dimension as Chairmen and Secretaries of the party in the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have condemned attacks launched by Dr. Abayomi Arabambi against the Party’s Presidential candidate in the 2023 General elections, Mr Peter Obl.
The Chairmen and Secretaries ofthe party led by Muhammad Abdullahi Lawal, Zonal Vice Chairman at a press conference took exception to Arabambi, the National Publicity Secretary of the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party tirade on Obi.
“Labour Party has always prided itself on it’s commitment to democratic principles, fairness, and respectful discourse.
Lawal, speaking on behalf of others, stated. “It is deeply disheartening to see someoneconsidered to be a party member, resort to unwarranted attacks and character assassination against our principal. While we respect differing opinions andcriticisms, it is essential that these criticisms are constructive, respectful, and well-founded. Arabambi’s derogatory commentsagainst our Principal, Mr. Peter Obi, are not only disrespectful, but alsodetrimental to the image and progress of our party.
“Despite numerous warmings and appeals, Dr. Arabambi has persisted in his unruly behaviour and continued this attacksagainst HE Peter Obl, in one occasion, calling him “a tribalistics bigot.” Asrepresentatives of the LP, we cannot tolerate such actions that undermine theprinciples and values of our party. Therefore, we openly distance ourselvesfrom Dr. Arabambi and his derogatory remarks.
“Furthermore, we want to call onDr. Arabambi to cease from his derogatory remarks against H.E Peter Obi, suchbehaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated within our party.
“Sequel to this, we reaffirm ourunwavering support for HE Peter Obi, who embodies the character anddistinguished pririciples that define the Labour Party and the great future ofour country’s unity.
“We stand in solidarity with him, the NigeriaLabour Congress INLC), the Obidient movement groups and all other stakeholderswho are committed to sanitizing the party and upholding its integrity.
“Next, we wish to make it unequivocally clearthat there is no longer any semblance of the so called Apapa faction or Aburefaction within our party. The erstwhile Apapa faction was formed out ofnecessity in response to Barrister Abure’s failure to adhere to a court orderrestraining him from acting as the national chairman.
“This led proactive members likemyself to identify with Baba Apapa, who was at the time the Deputy NationalChairman, as the acting National Chairman. However, in the interest of partyunity and progression, we have collectively agreed today to the disbandment ofthese factions and move forward as one cohesive party.
“As some of you may be aware, some of us wereonce close allies of Julius Abure. However, following a restraining order bythe High Court of the Federall Capital Territory, presided by Justice Hamza Muazu, on April 5th, 2023, where Barrister Abure and others were restrained from parading themselves as National officers of the party, we tried hard to let Barrister Julius Abure understand the implication of the said order and theneed of him to respect the valid and subsisting court order but all to no avail.
As loyal members of the party, we had no choice but to sever ties withhim in the interest of our party.
“It is with great concern that wehighlight the weighty accusations of financial mismanagementt levelled againstBarrister Abure.
Any individual with a genuine commitment to the party’swelfare and integrity would have willingly resigned from their position pendingthe outcome of investigations.
However, Barrister Abure’s failure to do sospeaks volumes about his greed and lack of accountability. “Furthermore, Barrister Abure’s claim to the position of National Chairman is illegitimate, as it stems from apurported National Convention that was neither legitimate nor all inclusive. A true leader respects democratic principles and ensures that all members of theparty are aduately represented in such crucial derision-making processes”.