The Imo State Government says it has washed its hands of what it described as the self-inflicted woes rocking the Labour Party (LP) in the state.

The LP National Secretary, Umar Farouk had accused Governor Hope Uzodinma of trying to hijack the party following the invasion of its premises in Owerri by security agencies.

Farouq said the state government was behind its current crisis.

However, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, on Tuesday, dismissed the claims as “mischievous and satanic”, saying the invasion was a result of infighting among various factions of the party in the state.

In a statement on Tuesday, the commissioner said a faction secured a court order against the institution of a caretaker committee by another faction, necessitating the pasting of the order at the state secretariat of LP.

“It is a common knowledge that the Labour Party in IMO STATE has been engulfed in leadership crisis even before the election. So,it is mischievous and even satanic for the national secretary to accuse the governor of trying to hijack the party,” Emelumba stated.

He noted that the presence of security agencies at the premises was to enforce the pasting of the the court order at the LP Secretariat as directed by the court.

According to him, the governor has no need to be interested in the internal crisis of LP as he is busy attending to the affairs of the state.

“Uzodinma is not a member of LP. He is not among those who went to court. He is not threatened by the activities of the party, so why drag his name into their crisis?” Emelumba said.

He alleged that the crisis In LP started festering for a long time resulting in the state chapter arranging two different venues when the presidential candidate, Peter Obi, visited Imo for campaigns.

The commissioner said the government had approved a particular venue requested by the party, while another faction prepared a different one for the same event.

Emelumba accused the national secretary of the LP of “misinforming” Nigerians as to the real reasons the police visited their secretariat.

“Everybody in Imo State knows that the police were there to enforce a court order and save some rascals from themselves. Imo State Government has absolutely nothing to do with that,” the commissioner maintained. (Channels TV)

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