A Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, Edo State, has confirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
This much was revealed in a statement released by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.
The case filed against Abure and five others by Mr. Lucky Shaibu, was thrown out by the court.
This follows after a unanimous decision was reached by Justice Abadua, Fatima Akinbami and Sybil O. Nwaka-Gbagi in the case, with No: CA/B/93/2023.
While speaking on the decision, Abure hailed it, while recognizing the efforts of the LP faithfuls.
“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,” Abure said.
In the same vein, Lead Counsel to Abure, Prest Aigbokhan, also praised the court’s decision.
“It is a landmark judgment that will stand the test of time. Anybody still associating with impostors parading themselves as factional leaders of the party does so at their own peril. Political parties must remain watchdog of national conscience,” Aigbokhan stated.
The Apapa-led faction of the LP has, however, disregarded the decision of the Court of Appeal.
According to them, the restraining order by the Abuja High Court recognizing Apapa as the party’s acting national chairman remains relevant.
This defiance was contained in a statement released by its spokesperson, Abayomi Arabambi.
“Our party attention was drawn to misleading information that has been peddled around by some criminal elements loyal to the police-indicted former National Chairman of Labour Party Mr Julius Abure.
“Labour Party wishes to state categorically that our complaint in the appeal filed before the court of appeal bothered on his suspension as a member in Article 19(2)A of our party constitution which the three justices of the court of appeal did not take cognisance of and refused to make findings on.
“We are aware of the capacity of Peter Obi and Abure Julius to tamper with court proceedings and documents as evidence in the forgery perpetrated in Abuja FCT high court where the signature and seal of judges were forged by Abure Julius and which he boasted yesterday in Lagos with Peter Obi that nobody in Nigeria can probe or arraigned him in court and three others indicted by the police.
“Surprisingly, the same Abure has a pending appeal in the Supreme Court against this same set of justice which has been filed and served on us to arrest today’s judgment.
“But since they know it may not fly in the face of the law, Abure resorted to his trademark by engaging the services of unscrupulous elements in the Edo state high court to tamper with the records transmitted.
“What we don’t know is if Abure has now become the Chief Judge of Edo state to be able to commit any crime and get away with it.
“The said missing document is in the transmitted copy with our lawyer and duly paid for, but unfortunately this singular criminal act that aided Julius Abure today at the court of appeal was the reason the three justices base their judgment on the suspension of Julius Abure,” the statement by the Apapa-led faction read.
Abure was allegedly suspended as the chairman of the Labour Party by the Plaintiff, Mr. Lucky Shaibu, who happens to be one of the Labour Party Executives in Ward 3 Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
In his lead judgement, though, Justice Abadua upheld the previous decision of the High Court of Edo State.
It ruled that a single individual was incapable of suspending the LP National Chairman, in line with Articles 13 and 17 of the Party’s Constitution and the extant 2022 ectoral Act.
