Confusion As Court Stops Suspension Of Labour Party Chairman, Other National Officers

According to reports, two courts have issued conflicting rulings on the dismissal of Labour Party (LP) national officials.

WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that on Wednesday, Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) restrained the National Chair­man of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure; National Sec­retary, Farouk Ibrahim; National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu, and one other from parading themselves as party national officers.

Justice Muazu issued the restraining order after hearing an ex-parte application from Chief James Onoja. (SAN).

Martins John, Lucky Shaibu, Isah Zekeri, Omogbai Frank, Abokhaiu Aliu, Ayohkaire Lateef, Job Elomah, and Abayomi Arabambi are the plaintiffs in the CV/2930/2023 suit.

In an unexpected turn of events, a state High Court in Benin reportedly restrained the party from suspending its national officers until the motion on notice was decided.

Umar Farouk, the LP’s National Secretary, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the statement, LP lawyer G. C. Igbokwe (SAN) stated that the court ordered that the status quo be maintained and that no action that could result in the suspension of any national officer of the party be taken.

It read;

Our attention has been drawn to a latter order pur­portedly from another court of equal jurisdiction restraining my clients. Of course, such order is of no consequence and will have no effect until after the determi­nation of the motion on notice.

Recall that the entire lead­ership of Labour Party in Edo State, including the State, Local Government, and Ward execu­tives on Monday had passed a vote of confidence on Abure, who was allegedly suspended by a factional group of the party.

The party recalled that some groups who claimed to be Ward 3 executives of the party in Edo State, led by the Ward’s Chairman, Martins Osigbem­he, had earlier announced the suspension of the LP national chairman.

However, in a solidarity visit to the Barrister Abure at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, the chapters said the Osigbemhe faction are unknown to the party and are working for the opposition po­litical parties.

Addressing reporters, the Edo State Chairman of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, said no group or party member is empowered to suspend a national officer.

He stated that imposters who are not registered party members cannot suspend Abure, who was elected by a national con­vention.

Ogbaloi added:

So their action is out of ignorance. Those who did it don’t even understand the message they were asked to deliver.