The Edo High Court, on Friday in Benin, dismissed the notice of suspension issued against the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, by some ward executives in the state.
Mr Abure and some of the executives of the Ward 3 in Esan North East of Edo State, had challenged the action of some elements who purportedly suspended the national chairman of the party.
In his judgement which lasted for about two hours, Justice Emmanuel Aihamoje said the party’s executive in Uromi in Ward 3 lacked 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 imposed a perpetual injunction against Lamidi Apapa and any other residents or faction, from removing or suspending Mr Abure as the national chairman until the national convention of the party was convened.
Justice Aihamoje further stated that the purported ward 3 executives who suspended the national chairman of the party acted outside the powers vested on them by the LP Constitution.
The ward 3 Labour Party Chairman in Arueh Uromi, Thompson Ehiguese, told reporters that the judgement had ended impostors “masquerading as members of the Labour Party in the ward.
“These people claiming to be members of our party are from Edo North and members of APC,” he said.
“The judgement is explicitly clear that Mr Julius Abure remains the National Chairman until the party holds its convention next year.
President Aigbokhan, one of the lead counsel to the Labour Party and Julius Abure said that “this landmark judgement would stand the test of time. Any decision taken on the void notice of suspension falls effortlessly.
“The Court in its decision, emphasised that the roles of ward executives in the Labour Party did not include the suspension of national officers of the party.”
Also, the State Labour Party chairman, Kelly Ogbaloi, said the Labour Party was vindicated and the court had spoken through Justice Aihamoje and “this confirmed what we told the Nigerian public from the beginning that Apapa and his cohorts are common power seekers”.
