THE Labour Party has accused the Federal Government of deliberately shielding the embattled former Chairman of the Presidential Task Team on Pension Reforms, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina, from prosecution.
The Party has therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to order his immediate arrest and prosecution in line with the anti-corruption campaign of his administration.
National Chairman of the Party, Dr Mike Omotosho, spoke at a news conference he jointly addressed with the Publicity Secretary of the Party, Barrister Ebere Ifendu and other top party officials.
He also denied reports of leadership crisis rocking the party, saying there was nothing like leadership tussle in the Labour Party.
ALSO READ: Query: Head of Service beats deadline, submits Maina’s report to CoS Abba Kyari
The party insisted that the circumstances surrounding the return, reinstatement and consequent disappearance of Maina who was purported posted to head human resource department in the Ministry of Interior, remained a dent to anti-graft war of the administration.
“You will recall that Maina was sacked by the last administration and placed on Wanted List. We are calling on the federal government to arrest and prosecute Maina if they know where he is. Since they were the ones that brought him back and reinstated him, they should also bring him out now, arrest and prosecute him”, the party demanded.
They accused the former national chairman, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam of continued impersonation, saying he had since been suspended following serious allegations levelled against him by the party’s governorship candidate in Anambra.
She said the party had filed a formal complaint with the police who are currently investigating the disappearance of party property including a vehicle.
Ifendu, said: “We want to correct some misconceptions about our party. There is no leadership tussle in our party. Our National Chairman is Dr Mike Omotoso.
“Any person or persons doing transaction with Alhaji A.A Salam in the name of the Labour Party, is doing so at his or her own peril.
She said the party under the leadership of Omotosho would soon take census of the old members to revalidate while at the same time register new members, adding that the party would revalidate its offices in the 36 states and FCT within 90 days.
She added the party would also conduct congresses in states where the tenure of their office have elapsed in three years in line with the provision in the 2009 constitution of the party.
The party spokesperson, said the party would be repositioned to enable it occupy the political landscape of the nation come 2019, saying this would be done by building internal party democracy and providing coordinated leadership at all levels.
On the welfare of workers, the Labour Party frowns at non-payment of salaries to civil servants in most states of federation.
Omotosho, called on all affected state governments to immediately pay all arrears of salaries and entitlements to their workers, noting that it was embarrassing that after receiving bailout funds from the federal government the states refused to pay salaries of workers.
It however urged the federal government to launch an investigation into how the states governments utilized the budget support fund as well as the Paris Club Refund given them by the federal government, aside their federal allocation and internally generated revenue.
and then