Edo high court squashes suspension of Abure as LP national chair

By Jethro Ibileke

Justice Emmanuel Okey Aihamoje of High Court of Edo sitting in Benin has dismissed the notice of suspension issued against the national chairman of Labour Party (LP), Barr. Julius Abure by some members of his ward in the state.

The suit with No: HUC/21/2023, was filed by the embattled national chairman and some of the executives of the Ward 3 in Esan North East local government area of Edo State

It was filed to challenge the actions of some people who claimed to be ward 3 executive members of the party who purportedly suspended Abure as national chairman of the party.

In his judgement which lasted for about two hours, Justice Emmanuel Okey Aihamoje, said the party’s ward executive in Uromi in Ward 3, lacks the power under the Labour Party Constitution, particularly Art.13 & 17 and the Electoral Act 2022 as amended, to remove the national chairman of the party.

The Judge went ahead to impose a perpetual injunction against Lamidi Apapa and his cohorts and any other residents or faction from removing or suspending Barrister Julius Abure as the national chairman until the national convention of the party is convened.

He further stated that the purported wards 3 executives who suspended the national chairman of the party acted outside the powers vested on it by the Labour Party Constitution

Reacting to the judgement, one of the lead counsel to the LP and Julius Abure, Barr. President Aigbokhan, described it as “landmark judgement will stand the test of time. Any decision taken on the void notice of suspension falls effortlessly.

“The Court in his decision emphasized that the roles of wards executive in Labour Party does not include the suspension of national officers of the party,” he added.

Also reacting to the judgement, LP Ward 3 Chairman in Arueh Uromi, Comrade Thompson Ehiguese, said that the judgement has put an end to impostors who are masquerading as members of the party in the ward.

“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 Obedient 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 holds its convention 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.

Chairman of LP in Edo, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, described the judgement as vindication for Labour Party and a confirmation of what “we told the Nigerian public from the beginning that Apapa and his cohorts are common tragic power seekers.”

According to him, “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 legally, 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 told squarely that the charade can no longer be entertained by the court.”