The Labour Party has called for the immediate release of its National Vice Chairman for the South-East, Ceekay Igara, who was allegedly arrested by the police on the orders of Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti.
In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the party’s Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, the Labour Party expressed shock and disappointment over the arrest.
According to Olorunfemi, Mr. Igara was holding a meeting with party leaders in Abia when police officers surrounded the gathering and took him away without presenting an arrest warrant.
“The Labour Party leadership is deeply concerned by this development, especially as it appears to be sanctioned by our party’s only sitting governor,” Olorunfemi said.
“It’s troubling that Dr. Alex Otti, whom the party supported during the 2023 governorship election and whose victory we defended, has now turned against us. We are baffled by his actions, especially since he was once a steadfast ally who hosted the extended stakeholders’ meeting in Abia. Now, he seems determined to wrest control from the party’s leadership by forming a caretaker committee.”
Olorunfemi added that following the court’s decision affirming Julius Abure as the party’s legitimate leader and validating the Nnewi convention, the Labour Party extended an olive branch to Governor Otti, only to be met with further attempts to destabilize the party.
“We are truly at a loss as to why the governor is working so hard to undermine the same party that supported him when he needed it the most. His use of political intimidation is surprising and disappointing,” Olorunfemi said.
“It’s often said that power reveals a person’s true nature. We were misled by his earlier gestures of humility, only to now see his tyrannical tendencies emerge.”
The Labour Party demanded the immediate release of Ceekay Igara and urged the police to charge him in court within the next 24 hours if necessary, in accordance with the law.