Nigeria Content Online

For a greater part
of yesterday, the freedom of Theophilus Osim Onyuku, the Cross River
State gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) was denied him
as he was holed up at the Atakpa police station in Calabar answering
questions bordering on alleged anti-party activities and his subsequent
suspension from office as the chairman of the party in the state.

Mr .Onyuku, who was
invited by the police last Monday, showed up yesterday morning only to
be detained by the police. He is the embattled state chairman of the
party in Cross River who also won its governorship primary to become
its candidate.

Last week, the
national leadership of the party suspended Onyuku, a psychiatric
medical doctor, for anti-party activities. It also directed him to
vacate the office of chairman of the party and hand over all documents
and property of the party to the vice-chairman, pending investigation
into allegations leveled against him.

Two persons, Onyuku
and Imah Nsa Adegoke, have been parading themselves as the
gubernatorial candidate of LP, with their posters competing for
attention in the state. The duo are jostling to represent the party in
the governorship election coming up next year, following the tenure
elongation granted the incumbent state governor, Liyel Imoke.

Mr Onyuku reacted
swiftly to the purported suspension, saying it had no place in law
since due process was not followed. He also denied involvement in
anti-party activities of any kind, saying the fact that he comes from
the same local council as Mr Imoke does not mean he was working for him.

“The police have
been asking me to explain my level of involvement in purported
anti-party activities. I have told them everything that I know. At no
time did I align with the PDP (People’s Democratic Party) nor work for
Governor Imoke. Those who know me know that I’m an unrepentant critic
of the state government. The allegations against me are absurd and
cannot be proved beyond reasonable doubt. This is a party affair. If
there is any crisis in Labour Party, its chieftains and stalwarts
should be allowed to resolve it themselves. .”

‘Due process candidate’

Mr Onyuku, who
described himself as the authentic candidate of LP for the governorship
election in Cross River State, said he emerged through due process and
challenged any person parading herself as candidate to prove when and
how she got elected as candidate.

His interrogation at the police station attracted the sympathy of other opposition politicians in the state. company.

The police said they invited him based on a petition sent to them
that Mr Onyuku should stop parading himself as the state chairman of LP
because he has been suspended from office over anti-party activities.