The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, has dismissed the recent call by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for the investigation of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, and others over allegations of forgery, calling it a political maneuver and a waste of time.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Arabambi stated that the allegations had already been resolved by a March 2023 Court of Appeal judgment in Abuja, as well as forensic and police investigative reports that cleared Abure of any wrongdoing. His remarks came in response to a demand from NLC Political Commission Chairman, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, and Nigerian Corruption Watch Chairman, Dandy Rowland, for Abure’s prosecution over accusations of perjury, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.
The Senator Nanedi Usman-led Labour Party Caretaker Committee had also called for the prosecution of Abure and several national officers of the party, expressing frustration over the delay in their legal proceedings. However, Arabambi described these calls as a political attack aimed at damaging the reputation of Abure and the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Umar Ibrahim.
“The forensic and police investigative reports clearly state that no forgery occurred. The case file forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation was returned to the police because the forensic report exonerated all four accused persons,” Arabambi said.
He further pointed out that the Court of Appeal’s ruling on March 6, 2023, by Justices Hamma Akawu Barka, Adebukola Banjoko, and Peter Chudi Obiorah, in case No. CA/ABJ//CV/559/2023, dismissed all allegations of forgery, perjury, and conspiracy. Arabambi emphasized that only the Supreme Court could overturn the judgment.
Arabambi also defended the Inspector General of Police’s decision not to prosecute Abure, citing the appellate court’s ruling that prevented any further legal action on the matter. He criticized Ndubuaku and NLC President Joe Ajaero, accusing them of attempting to undermine the Labour Party leadership through intimidation tactics.
“At this point, Ndubuaku and his ally Joe Ajaero must understand that Abure, Ibrahim, and Clement Ojukwu have no case to answer. It is ridiculous that anyone would issue ultimatums to the Attorney General over a case that has already been resolved by the Court of Appeal,” he said.
Arabambi concluded by stating that the party would not tolerate further attempts to tarnish its leadership with what he called baseless allegations.
