The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has condemned the arrest of the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Abure was arrested by a combined team of police officers and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) on Wednesday.
Abure, alongside the state chairman of the party, Kelly Ogbaloi, and two others were arrested over allegations of attempted murder and financial irregularities.
Reacting to the development in a series of posts via his official X handle on Wednesday night, Obi described the arrest of Abure as humiliating, demeaning and distasteful.
He said the maltreatment of Abure by the security agencies is undesirable and unequivocally intolerable and must be condemned by any decent and civilized mind.
Obi said while constitutional authorities must be allowed to execute their statutory functions, officers must adhere to due process, civility, decency and established arrest procedures.
He wrote: “Like many Nigerians, I observed the distasteful national television news reports detailing the humiliating arrest of the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Barrister Julius Abure, earlier today in Benin City, Edo state.
”Throughout my roles as a private individual, public figure, Governor, and Presidential candidate, I consistently advocated for the paramount importance of upholding the rule of law in any sane society.
”I firmly believe that, as citizens, we are all duty-bound irrespective of our status in society to respond to invitations from properly constituted authority. My stance on this matter remains unwavering but does not explain watching the distressing image of our National Chairman lying on the ground in the name of arrest.
“This act is undesirable, demeaning and unequivocally intolerable and must be condemned by any decent and civilized mind within the context of our present civic landscape in Nigeria. These deplorable actions epitomize the pinnacle of rascality and serve to egregiously tarnish the already regrettable perception of our nation as one plagued by lawlessness.
“Such behaviour must not only be denounced but also actively addressed to uphold the principles of justice and respect for the dignity of the individual within our society.
“Regarding the circumstances surrounding Mr. Abure’s arrest, it is crucial to emphasize that while constitutional authorities must be allowed to execute their statutory functions, officers must adhere to due process, civility, decency and established arrest procedures, embody civility, decorum, respect for the dignity and rights of citizens, and, above all, the presumption of innocence before the law.”
Obi, therefore, called for Abure’s bail based on his status while the investigation of his alleged offence continues.
He added: “It is crucial to emphasize that as a leader within the Labour Party, Mr. Abure represents, both personally and statutorily, as the incumbent Chairman of the LP, the face of political opposition in Nigeria. Most importantly, political Parties are institutions of democratic statehood and ought to that extent be accorded due respect.
“It is imperative to reiterate that no pretext or subterfuge should be employed to stifle Nigeria’s political opposition. Therefore, I urge that he should be granted bail based on his status while the investigation of his alleged offence continues.”
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