Confusion trails Appeal court order sacking Labour Party’s chairman, Abure

Labour Party has stated that the Appeal Court sitting in Owerri did not order the removal of its National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, as widely reported.

This is even as the party also clarified that the appellant court in Owerri, Imo State, did not rule that the factional leader, Lamidi Apapa be reinstated and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the forthcoming elections in three states, in November, this year.

Reports had gone viral, Thursday, of a decision by the Appeal Court in Owerri sacking the Abure mainstream faction of the Labour Party, while also ordering INEC to recognise the Apapa-led faction of the party ahead of the off-season governorship election slated for Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states, in November.

Reacting to the viral reports, Thursday, National Publicity Secretary, Labour Party, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, in a statement, explained that the appellant court in Owerri only dismissed the appeal filed by one Mr Basil Maduka, who is contending for the Labour Party governorship candidacy for Imo state.

According to the parry, the purported ruling sacking Abure by the court were ‘mere comments of the trial judge in the matter was not a judgement and should be discountenanced.’

“The court further held that the appeal by the Labour Party was not necessary as the decision of the trial court was in its favour and that mere comments of the trial judge in the matter was NOT A JUDGEMENT and should be discountenanced.

“Labour Party had asked the Court of Appeal to quash the comments of the trial court in the Federal High Court Owerri.

“Labour party also told the court that Senator Athan Achonu won the party’s primaries.

“The attention seeking camp of Lamidi Apapa had earlier today as usual misinformed the public by twisting the clear judgement of the appellate court.

“It is therefore important to state that neither the Federal High Court Owerri nor the Court of Appeal Owerri, which sat in Abuja today made any orders in the matter other than for lack of locus standi against the plaintiff (Basil Maduka).

“Consequently, the status quo remains with Senator Athan Achonu as the validly nominated candidate of Labour Party for 2023 Imo governorship election.

“With this Court of Appeal judgment and the endorsement of Senator Achonu by our national leader Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and other stakeholders and party members, the dust has settled on the gubernatorial ticket issue. Achonu has received the governorship flag of the party and has since flagged off his campaign with a well attended ceremony in Owerri on Tuesday,” Ifoh said.

The party further recalled that the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City recently affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of Labour Party (LP).

“In the case of Mr Lucky Shaibu v. Julius Abure & 5 ORS (Appeal No: CA/B/93/2023), His Lordships Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji Abadua, Fatima Omoro Akinbami and Hon. Justice Sybil O. Nwaka-Gbagi in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal of the Appellant.

”In his lead judgment Justice Abadua, while nullifying the earlier suspension and all actions taken against Abure and the party arising from the purported suspension, affirmed the decision of the High Court of Edo State and held that one man cannot suspend the national chairman of Labour Party in line with Article 13 and 17 of the Constitution of the Party and the extant Electoral Act of 2022 particularly when the appellant has been described by the party as unknown,” he said.

The party spokesperson, therefore, advised Labour Party members and the general public to ‘distance themselves from these falling and compromised members of the party who have since been shoved out of the party.’

Meanwhile, also reacting to the viral reports, Director of the Peter Obi/Datti Yususf Baba-Ahmed Campaign Organisation of the Labour Party, Akin Osuntokun, Thursday, urged Nigerians, to ‘disregard the false information.’

Osuntokun responding via his Twitter (now X) handle, said: “Disregard the false information circulating, Barr. Julius Abure Remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party.”