The Labour Party has raised the alarm over what it describes as a “malicious and desperate frame-up” targeting its key leaders, following a petition allegedly submitted to the National Security Adviser by one Abayomi Arabambi, who the party insists no longer speaks for its leadership.
In the controversial petition, Arabambi reportedly accused prominent figures within the Labour Party, including former presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi, Nigeria Labour Congress President Comrade Joe Ajaero, Senator Victor Umeh, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, and Dr. Yunusa Tanko, of orchestrating a violent plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration under the guise of a “One Million Man March.”
The said protest, allegedly slated for July 30, 2025, was also linked to a purported plan to forcibly reclaim the party’s former national secretariat located at Utako, Abuja, currently occupied by former chairman Barr. Julius Abure.
In a swift and strongly worded rebuttal, the Labour Party, through Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to Interim National Chairman Senator Nenadi Usman, condemned the allegations as not only false but also “laughable and dangerous.”
“The leadership of the Labour Party is not aware of any planned protest anywhere in Nigeria under its auspices,” the statement said. “We have neither authourised nor sanctioned any individual or group to reclaim a property the party has since abandoned.”
According to the party, following the Supreme Court ruling of April 4, 2025, which affirmed Senator Usman as the party’s legitimate leader, law enforcement agencies were duly informed and urged to enforce the judgement. With no action forthcoming, the party said it chose to relocate rather than escalate tensions.
The party questioned the logic of equating a peaceful protest, which it denies planning, with a coup plot, calling the narrative “a throwback to a dark era when dissent was criminalised and opposition voices were silenced through phantom allegations.”
The Labour Party also confirmed that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have begun harassing its officials based on what it described as a “concocted tale” and warned against the implications of such actions on Nigeria’s democracy.
“This is not merely a reckless lie; it is a dangerous and desperate attempt to frame up respected leaders of the Labour Party in a phoney plot to destabilise the nation,” the statement continued. “We call on all security agencies to thoroughly investigate this malicious petition and expose the real actors behind this sinister agenda.”
The Labour Party reaffirmed its commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law, urging Nigerians to reject what it called “a poorly scripted political drama” designed to instil fear and stoke political unrest.
