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Ex-Edo Speaker, Ativie Who Bought House Of Reps Ticket From Labour Party’s National Chairman Allegedly Orders Police To Arrest Original Winner

Edo
November 30, 2022

SaharaReporters had reported how Imasuen emerged as the winner of the primary election of the federal constituency supervised by Independent National Electoral Commission officials.

A former Edo State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt Hon. Uyinmwen Ativie, has been accused of using policemen from Zone 5 to harass and threaten the winner of the Labour Party’s House of Representatives ticket for Uhunmwode/Orhionmwon federal constituency in the state, Murphy Imasuen.
SaharaReporters had reported how Imasuen emerged as the winner of the primary election of the federal constituency supervised by Independent National Electoral Commission officials.
However, the Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure pleaded with the winner of the primary election to forfeit the ticket to Ativie.
Abure promised Imasuen juicy offers and asked that he would be refunded with any amount he had spent on his aspiration. His supporters were also promised different positions on the party.
He however turned down all the offers and vowed to sue the party.
Not satisfied, Abure submitted forged court document to INEC alleging Imasuen was voluntary withdrawing from the race.
Regarding the letter, an oath was sworn at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Meanwhile, the court in a letter addressed to Imasuen’s lawyer and obtained by SaharaReporters described the letter submitted to INEC by Abure as fake.
“I write to inform you that a careful investigation conducted by the court in respect of the attached copy of letter of voluntary withdrawal bearing the name of Imasuen Paul Murphy dated 8th July, 2022 reveals that the court document was not sworn to before a Commissioner for Oath in this court because there is no name of the Commissioner for Oath on the said document and there is no revenue receipt number. Therefore, the court document did not emanate from our court,” the letter signed by Director, Commissioner for Oaths Department, Funmilola Lawal read.
Multiple sources told SaharaReporters that policemen attached to the AIG Zone 5 office invaded Imasuen’s property to arrest him. 
“This barbaric act by the policemen from AIG Zone 5 hired by Elizabeth Ativie to suppress justice while she is yet to respond to the IG of police invitation regarding the forged letter of withdrawal she concocted with Julius Abure,” a source told SaharaReporters.
“We have been able to identify two of the policemen through the CCTV footage at Agese and Lounge. Justice must be served. They came to arrest Murphy Imasuen in his hotel but met his absence.”
SaharaReporters earlier reported how Ativie paid millions of Naira to be listed as the Labour Party’s House of Representatives candidate for the federal constituency.
The move to make the former Speaker the party’s candidate is against the provisions of Section 33 of the 2022 Electoral Act which states that a political party cannot remove or substitute a candidate that emerged from a valid primary.
Whereas Section 31 of the Electoral Act only allows for substitution when a candidate dies or when they withdraw from the race and inform INEC in writing.
The section reads: “A candidate may withdraw his or her candidature by notice in writing signed by him and delivered personally by the candidate to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal to the commission not later than 90 days to the election.”
Documents seen by SaharaReporters also showed that Ativie contested the All Progressives Congress primary election for the federal constituency but lost to Chief Billy Osawaru.
Having her on the INEC list is also against the new electoral law which is against contesting in the primary election of another party after losing the primary election of one party.