A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court has turned down a bid to overturn an interim order prohibiting Julius Abure, the Labour Party (LP) national chairman, and three other individuals from further disguising themselves as national officers.
Alex Ejesieme (SAN), an attorney for Abure and others, had asked Justice Hamza Muazu in a ruling yesterday to vacate the order that the embattled chairman, the national secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, the national treasurer, Oluchi Opara, and the national organizing secretary, Clement Ojukwu, had issued on April 5.
A week after a ward in the party’s Edo State chapter suspended Abure for alleged anti-party activities, a restraining order was issued on April 5.
The party’s national vice chairman, Lamido Bashir Apapa, who had been accused of being sponsored by opposition parties, took over the party in an acting capacity shortly after the court order.
In another twist, a high court in Benin issued an order prohibiting anyone from deposing the embattled chairman.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) threatened to occupy the homes of some Abure opponents if they attempted to approach the party’s national secretariat again.
Joe Ajaero, president of the National Labour Congress, also directed all workers in the country to arrest anyone suspected of plotting to demolish the Labour Party.
Declining a request to vacate the order, Justice Muazu ordered that the restraining order, made ex-parte, shall subsist, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice for interlocutory injunctions.
Earlier, Alex Ejesieme (SAN), who appeared for the national chairman of the LP, pleaded the court to vacate the order for normalcy in the party.
He noted that the order has created unnecessary tension with different factions conducting primaries in the Imo State governorship election.
The original suit was brought by Martins Esikpali John O., Lucky Shaibu, Isah Zekeri, Omogbai Frank, Abokhalu Aliu, Ayohkaire Lateef, Job Elomah and Dr Abayomi Arabambi through their lawyer, James Onoja (SAN).
They also averred that the party chairman was suspended by the ward executives of the LP in Ward 03, Arue, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State via a resolution of March 31, 2023.
