Court grants Abure full control of Labour Party as Apapa loses again

The National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has once again been vindicated courtesy of a judgement delivered by a State High Court sitting in Edo State on Friday, May 26, 2023.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Emmanuel Aihamoje, the court dismissed the notice of suspension issued against the embattled National Chairman by some party members at his ward in the state.

This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh.

Ifoh also confirmed that the case was filed by Abure and the executive members of the Labour Party in Ward 3, Esan North of Edo State.

Justice Aihamoje, in a judgement that lasted for nearly two hours, held that the party ward executive in Uromi in Ward 3 lacked the power under the Labour Party Constitution, particularly Acts 13 & 17 and the Electoral Act 2022, to suspend the national chairman of the party.

The judge, therefore, proceeded to impose a perpetual injunction against the Lamidi Apapa-led faction from removing or suspending Abure as the National Chairman until the party holds a new national convention.

Justice Aihamoje further emphasised that the purported ward executive who suspended Abure acted outside the purview of the Labour Party Constitution.

In his reaction, Thompson Ehiguese, Labour Party Ward 3 Chairman, told journalists at the court premises that the judgement has neutralised the plans of the impostors who are disguising themselves as members of the party in the ward.

Ehiguese said, “These charlatans claiming to be members of our party are from Edo North and members of APC. I want to use this medium to congratulate the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement that stood firmly with Comrade Julius Abure while the sponsored crisis in our great party lasted.

“The judgement is explicitly clear that Barrister Julius Abure remains the national Chairman until the party convention holds next year. Nothing can change our collective resolve to reclaim the Nigerian masses’ mandate freely given to Mr Peter Obi and the party in the last presidential election.

On his part, Edo State Labour Party Chairman, Kelly Ogbaloi, affirmed that the Labour Party has been vindicated, adding that the court has confirmed Apapa and his faction are ‘tragic power seekers.’

“Apapa, who before then was a deputy national chairman and a custodian of the constitution of the party, knew that the act of those who came to Abuja to announce the suspension of the national chairman was not doing so legal, since the action was an aberration to the provisions of the party’s constitution, instead, he ran to the court, seeking an ex-parte motion to restrain the national chairman.

“Today they have been basically told that the charade can no longer be entertained by the court.”