The crisis rocking Labour Party took a new turn at the weekend as Julius Abure, factional chairman of the party, was attacked at the Benin Airport in Edo State.

According to Obiora Ifoh, National Publicity Secretary of Abure’s faction, the chairman was physically attacked, on Friday, by a woman identified as Ms. Precious Oruche, popularly known as “Mama P”.

She reportedly accosted him while he was boarding a Max Air flight from Abuja to Benin.

According to Ifoh, the altercation started at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, where Oruche confronted Abure on the boarding queue and allegedly continued the assault throughout the flight despite attempts by flight attendants to calm her.

The drama reportedly extended to Benin Airport upon disembarkation, until security operatives intervened to whisk Abure away and hand the suspect over to the police.

In a statement, Ifoh alleged that Oruche, whom he described as a content creator and member of a “known political family,” boasted in one of her videos that she was untouchable due to her connections in the police hierarchy.

She was quoted her as saying she would continue to attack Abure and other party executives because “you have killed Labour Party and you are the reason why Obi is no longer in the Labour Party.”

“The leadership of the Labour Party is completely troubled with this cyber bullying and the consequences of the action of this political agent on the party. We are by this statement calling on the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate this suicidal aggression against the leadership of the Labour Party and Barrister Julius Abure in particular,” the statement read.

He added that the attack was a deliberate attempt by anti-democratic forces to destabilise the party.

Ifoh urged LP members to remain calm and await the outcome of the investigation, stressing that assault and cyberbullying are “serious crimes under Nigerian law.” (Weekend Trust, excluding headline)