Police Unseal Imo LP Secretariat

The Imo State secretariat of the Labour Party located in Owerri, the state capital, has been unsealed by the police.

The PUNCH correspondent who visited the facility on Tuesday observed that police operatives who took over the place on Monday after sealing it had left the place.

It was also observed that staff members at the secretariat have regained access into the LP office.

A chieftain of the party in the state, who doesn’t want to be quoted, also confirmed to our correspondent that the secretariat had been unsealed.

The national secretary of the party, Umar Farouk, had on Monday in a statement accused the state governor, Hope Uzodimma, of conniving with police to seal the secretariat.

The statement reads in part, “the national leadership of the Labour Party is shocked over the invasion and occupation of its secretariat in Owerri, today, Monday April 3, 2023 by the agents of the Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, including thugs and unauthorized police men drafted from the government house.

“Such illegal occupation was akin to similar invasion on the same secretariat on Wednesday March 15, 2023.

“Unlike the March invasion, where no reason was given by the state government on why it took such unlawful action against our political party, this time, they said that the action was due to a court order.

” But as at the moment, no such order to our knowledge was given. No order has been presented to us by the court or their agents. The police men presently occupying our secretariat have not even shown us the order. At the moment, all our officials and staff have been barred from accessing the secretariat.”

He also stated that the party had contacted the office of the Inspector General of Police on the development in the state, but the force claimed they were not aware of any security breach whatsoever in the state to warrant the occupation of their secretariat.

The police also informed them that it had not detailed any of its officers and men to the secretariat in Imo state; and that the officers may have been drafted from the State House in the state, Farouk said.

But reacting, the chief press secretary to the governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, said that the allegation was unfounded.

The governor’s spokesperson said ”the Labour Party’s allegation is unfounded. They should stop pointing fingers at the wrong place.”