The party said the thugs sacked workers and party members who were at the secretariat at the time.
Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, on Thursday, alleged that thugs escorted by policemen believed to be working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) broke into the national headquarters of the party (LP) in Abuja.
In a statement he personally signed, Mr Abure said the invaders who were armed pulled down the fences, burglaries, doors and windows of the building to gain access to their secretariat located in the Utako district of the federal capital.
In the process, he said, they sacked workers and party members who were at the secretariat at the time.
“Few minutes ago, the national headquarters of the Labour Party in Abuja witnessed a massive attack and was broken into by a detachment of the Nigerian Police and thugs believed to be working for the All Progressives Congress, APC,” the statement said.
However, Mr Abure said he did not witness the incident because he was out of town. He stated that “information has it that the agenda of the Invaders was to inaugurate an illegitimate executive which has been chosen for them by their sponsors.’
He said the incident occurred a few days after a similar invasion occurred in the Imo state secretariat of the party. He added that, to date, the secretariat is still being occupied by the agents of the Imo State Government.
“Plot”
Mr Abure reiterated that the LP is only a political party contesting for power but regrettably it is being suffocated.
He recounted that the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi, had alerted the public that there was a plot by some unnamed persons to hound him out of the country.
“Only yesterday, our Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi through the Presidential Campaign Council alerted Nigerians of a plot to hound him out of the country over APC’s covert plot in collaboration with some security agents to frame him up allegedly on matters bothering on treason,” he noted.
He said the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having conducted elections ranked the LP third, a position it has rejected and has approached the Presidential
tribunal to contest it.
“That is our only offence,” he added.
Mr Abure asked President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and stop the APC from further suffocating other political parties.
He said: “We, therefore call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his party, the APC to order and also refrain them from using unorthodox means to suffocate political structures in Nigeria.”
“A court of competent jurisdiction only yesterday ordered that I, Julius Abure remain the National Chairman, and should not be restrained from performing my duties, it, therefore baffles me why the Nigerian Police should allow itself to be used to perpetrate illegalities,” the chairman said.
Mr Abure urged the police, APC and their sponsors to play by the rules.
“We will no longer tolerate the often intimidation and deployment of brute forces against the party and their personnel. We demand they put a stop to the abuse of power and respect the rights and privileges of other political parties, particularly, the Labour Party to contest for power,” he said.
Several controversies have trailed the Labour Party and its Presidential candidate, Peter Obi after the party rejected the outcome of the just-concluded presidential election in February.
Mr Obi came third in the election but he, and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, who came second, is challenging the victory of Mr Tinubu of the ruling APC.
Police, APC decline comments
FCT Police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES on phone, said she cannot comment on political matters.
“I cannot comment on political matters, it is out of my Jurisdiction. Call the FPRO,” she told PREMIUM TIMES via phone call.
Likewise, APC spokesperson, Felix Morka, said he cannot comment on a statement he has not seen.
He requested that the statement by Mr Abure be shared with him, which our reporter did forward to him but he had responded as of the time of filling this report.
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