***Insist he forged their purported withdrawal letters to substitute them
There seem to be no respite yet for the embattled Labour Party (LP) national chairman as two governorship candidates and a House of Representatives candidate of the party in the 2023 General election have called for his prosecution having allegedly established forgery allegation against him
The aggrieved candidates; LP governorship candidates for Ebonyi State and Plateau States, Eze Oko Splendour and chief Yohana Yilpwan Margif respectively and the House of Representatives Candidate for Edo Orhionmwon/ Uhunmwode Federal constituency Imasuen Paul Murphy said they have established the forgery allegations through Police investigation for which Abure was detained.
Each of the candidates at a joint press conference in Abuja on Wednesday narrated their ordeals stating how they were fraududlently substituted with their forged Signatures, documents, Withdrawal Letters submitted to INEC.
They highlighted others other illegal acts of Abure to include their Unlawful Substitution of LP Candidates submitted to INEC, Fake & Forged Sworn Affidavits of FCT High Court Receipts, Seals and Oaths.
They also accused Abure of collecting N30m as bribe from each of their alleged substitutes.
Comrade Splendour said he won the LP primary for Ebonyi state but what should have been a straight forward democratic process was marred by criminality, deceit, and manipulations orchestrated by the party’s national chairman.
“Despite numerous attempts by Abure to evade accountability, the diligent efforts of law enforcement officials led to his eventual apprehension.
“However, the investigation was not without its Significant challenges as the former Chairman consistently attempted to obstruct justice and evade arrest through corrupt and deceitful means after months of rigorous information gathering, cross examinations and forensic analysis, the police investigation conclusively determined that Mr. “Abure criminally forged my signature to perpetrate his illegal scheme.
“Throughout the investigation process, I cooperated fully with law enforcement authorities, providing them with all necessary evidence
to substantiate my claims of forgery and electoral malpractice.
“Despite
the complexities and obstacles encountered along the way, the FCID remained steadfast in their pursuit of justice, ultimately recommending the prosecution of Abure for his criminal actions.
“The case file has since been forwarded to Federal Ministry of Justice for charges to be instituted but up until now, there has been no movement on the matter.
“This has begun to agitate my mind as the perception is that the former Chairman can get away with brazen and unbridled criminality which has further emboidened him to become
even more reckless, believing that he is a “sacred cow”.
“Having received the case file and recommendations from the FCID, I am hereby appealing most passionately to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation to ensure justice is served. The events described herein underscore the critical importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability within our democratic institutions.
“Those who seek to subvert the electoral process and undermine the integrity of our democracy must be held accountable for their actions.
“The prosecution of Abure is not only a matter of justice but also reaffirmation of our commitment to the principles of transparency,
fairness and accountability in governance.
“As the Chief law officer of the federation, a renowned staunch
advocate for the rule of law and a firm believer in the principles of
democracy, you have a sacred duty to uphold the rule of law without fear or favour.
“The police recommendation for criminal charges against the Chairman and others, must be treated with the urgency and diligence it deserves.
“We must send a strong message that our democracy cannot flourish where internal party processes are corrupted and electoral integrity is recklessly subverted.
“I kindly implore you to use your highly esteemed office to ensure that charges are filed against Mr. Abure and others without further delay.
Chief Margif said, ”
“I passed through the primaries successfully, the primary was witnessed by INEC, I scaled through as the flag bearer, I was given certificate of return by Julius Abure to run the race but after one month while I was doing campaign there was a planned arrest by police, I was taken to police custody only to hear that there is another primary going on the 5th of August purporting that I have withdrawn from the race.
“The letter of withdrawal was forged which they submitted 5th August 2022, Knowing very well I was in detention on 5th How can I sign withdrawal letter while in detention.
According to Murphy, “I did not at any time wrote a withdrawal letter nor deposed to any affidavit to that effect, this further made my lawyer to equally write a letter to the Federal High Court Abuja to confirm the authenticity of the affidavit
“Again the Court replied that the affidavit was never deposed to in that court, which means that they forged my signature, Court affidavit, court revenue receipt and some other documents, which prompted my petition to IGP to investigate this criminal act by the national chairman, Secretary and some other LP officials that may be involved in this criminal