Labour Party (LP) supporters clashed on Saturday at the domestic wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, sparking a heated altercation.
Although the exact cause of the fracas is still unclear, however, at the centre of the storm are allegations of attacks by supporters of the party’s erstwhile National Chairman, Julius Abure, on the one hand and a known member of the “Obidient Movement”, Ms. Precious Oruche, known on social media as “Mama P”, on the other.
The Obidient Movement is the umbrella body of supporters and support groups loyal to the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
“Mama P” had in, a Facebook post, accused Julius Abure’s supporters of leading an unprovoked attack on her person before and after a flight from Abuja to Benin on Friday.
However, Abure’s supporters in a statement signed by the factional LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, accused “Mama P” and “agents of anti-democratic forces” of engaging in uncivilised conduct.
He accused her of unprovoked verbal assault on Abure, before and throughout the said flight.
Ifoh said: “The leadership of the Labour Party is perplexed by the physical attack on our National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure by agents suspected to be working for anti-democratic elements who have tried unsuccessfully to wrestle the leadership of the party from him.
“Few hours ago, a prominent member of a known political family, Ms Precious Oruche, alias ‘Mama P’ accosted Barrister Abure while on a queue at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja, boarding a Max Air flight en-route Benin, and attacked the Labour Party’s National Chairman unprovoked.
“The attacker, Madam P, who is also a known content creator, continued the attack all through the duration of the flight, defying all attempts by the Max Air flight attendants to calm her.
“The assault, which attracted large population of onlookers, continued unabated on disembarkment at the Benin Airport, while she continued recording the scene.
“It took the intervention of the security agents on hand to whisk Abure to safety while the attacker was handed over to the police for questioning.
“In one of her films released, the lady who is a prominent member of the ‘Obidient’ and claimed that she has contacts with the highest lolice hierarchy, boasted that nothing will happen to her.
“She vowed that she will not stop attacking Abure or any member of the Labour Party executive because, according to her, “you have killed Labour Party and you are the reason why Obi is no longer in the Labour Party”.
“The leadership of the Labour Party is completely troubled with this cyber bullying and the consequences of the action of this political agent on the party.
“We are by this statement, calling on the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate this suicidal aggression against the leadership of the Labour Party and Barrister Julius Abure in particular.
“We sincerely believe that the lady-agent was on an assignment to accomplish the desires of her pay masters.
“Assault and cyber-bullying are severe crimes under our laws and we think that the Police must fish out her sponsors and cohorts, and bring them to books.
“We are calling on the members of the Labour Party to be calm, even in the face of this unwarranted provocation and wait for the outcome of the investigation on the unprovoked attack against the leadership of the party.”
