The national chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has been arrested by the police in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
A video showing how Abure was arrested by some armed police officers emerged on the internet Wednesday afternoon.
Videos and pictures of the incident were uploaded on X by @PIDOMNIGERIA (99% OPPRESSED).
SaharaReporters learnt that a petition written by the LP Youth Leader, Comrade Eragbe Anselm Aphimia had accused Abure of committing violent acts against him.
Also, the suspended National Treasurer of the Labour Party, Mrs Oluchi Opara, had insisted that Abure must submit the party's finances to a forensic audit and explain the source of funds used by him to acquire properties in Nigeria and overseas between 2022 and 2023.
Opara, who was suspended by the party on earlier this month, in her memo to the party's leadership obtained by SaharaReporters, stated that Abure must account for the "N958million raised from off-cycle elections in 2023, provide paper trails and documentary evidence of adherence to due process."
She added that the party's national chairman must "declare every single dollar raised from the 2023 US fundraising tour and provide documentation on where donations were warehoused and how same was appropriated."
SaharaReporters earlier reported that Oparah called on Abure to render an account of party funds amounting to over N3.5billion.
Opara, who made the demand during a press conference, had said that the money was the proceeds of the sale of forms and sundry fundraisers for the 2023 general elections. The party thereafter on Wednesday suspended her for six months amid the crisis.
Meanwhile, in a full memo she wrote to the party's leadership which was made later available to SaharaReporters, the treasurer noted that she urged Abure to "immediately answer the following: 1. Provide documentation for the N3.5 billion raised from the sale of forms for the 2023 elections and why Edo State proceeds went into private accounts.
"2. Account for the N958 million raised from off-cycle elections in 2023. Provide paper trails and documentary evidence of adherence to due process. 3. Declare every single dollar raised from the 2023 US fundraising tour and provide documentation on where donations were warehoused and how same was appropriated.
"4. Explain the source of funds for properties bought in Nigeria and abroad between
2022 and 2023. Provide paper evidence.
"5. Allow me unfettered access to party accounts and records as National Treasurer. 6. Submit to an independent forensic audit of our party's finances, to be conducted by a reputable international firm. 7. Explain why he has deliberately undermined my authority and flouted the Labour Party's constitution. 8. Provide evidence that he has not abused his office for personal enrichment through theft, money laundering, or abuse of power."
She added, "The Labour Party belongs to its broad membership, not a single power-drunk individual. I urge Mr Abure to do the honourable thing and submit himself to a transparent process that will restore confidence, trust, and integrity in our party's financial dealings. I sincerely hope the chairman seizes this opportunity to clear the air. Our loyal supporters deserve nothing less.
"Accordingly, I call upon Mr Julius Abure to come clean and be held accountable for his actions. I demand that he immediately relinquish his stranglehold on the party's finances and allow me to carry out my constitutionally assigned duties without interference. The Labour Party was founded on the principles of justice, equality, and integrity, and it is incumbent upon all of us to uphold these values in the face of corruption and abuse of power.
"I equally urge all members of the Labour Party, including H.E. Mr. Peter Obi, and the Nigerian public to stand with me in demanding accountability and transparency from our chairman. We cannot allow the actions of a few individuals to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of our party or undermine the trust of the people we serve. It is time for change, and I stand ready to fight for the principles that define us as a party and as a nation."
“She proceeded to lodge us at the Smart Homes Hotel, unknown to us that she was plotting a sinister and gruesome ambush. The next morning, a man named Austin Emeka came to pick me and my colleague, Mr Patrick Anethua, up from the hotel lobby, pretending to take us to a meeting venue.
“Instead, we were violently attacked just outside the hotel gates by a waiting mob.”