A Court of Appeal has confirmed Comrade Julius Abure as the national chairman of Labour Party (LP).
The affirmation comes in response to an appeal court ruling sitting in Benin, the capital of Edo State, in a lawsuit with reference number CA/B/93/2023 brought by Lucky Shaibu, a party chieftain, against Shaibu and five other party officials.
Obiora Ifoh, the LP National Publicity Secretary, revealed this in a statement.
The appealant’s case was dismissed by Justices Theresa Abdua, Fatima Akinbami, and Sybil Nwaka-Gbagi unanimously.
It would be recalled that Shauibu, who claimed to be a member of LP of Ward 3 executive in Esan Northeast Local Government Area of Edo, spearheaded the suspension of Abure as the chairman of LP.
When the matter was taken to court, the High Court of Edo State ruled that one person could not suspend the national chairman of the Labour Party as contained in the party’s constitution.
Similarly, the appellate court in the lead judgment by Justice Abadua affirmed that the decision of the High Court is in line with Articles 13 and 17 of the constitution of the party, and the extant Electoral Act of 2022, adding that this is particularly the case when the appellant had been described by the party as unknown.
“The court unanimously nullified the earlier suspension and all actions taken against Comrade Julius Abure and the party arising from the purported suspension,” Ifoh noted in the statement.
Meanwhile, the LP National Chairman is reported to have praised and applauded the court’s judgment in his reaction. He also praised the work of his legal team, which was presided over by G.C. Igbokwe, SAN.
He also expressed gratitude for the support of the obidient movement and Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate.
Abure was quoted to have said: “I thank the Obidient movement who tarry with me and Mr Peter Obi while the impostor Mr Lamidi Apapa and his adherents who tried to trade off the mandate freely given to the Labour Party with billions of Naira expended by his paymasters in the opposition parties”.
Igbokwe, for his part, described the decision as sound, valiant, and unquestionable.
According to the court’s ruling, Abure continued to serve as the LP’s national chairman up until the party’s convention, he added.
Ada Peter